Book Review | The Unhoneymooners

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Unhoneymooners

Author: Christina Lauren

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 400

Categories: Contemporary, Romance

Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.

Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.

Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of… lucky.

I finally read this book! I remember it was everywhere in 2019 and was highly recommended so I’m glad I snagged it on my online library.

I was wary to read it because it’s a twin story, and look…I’m okay with twin stories but I’ve been reading a lot of them and I’m kind of tired of it. It’s not my favorite thing to have twins in a story but I’m glad I read this one!

Olive’s twin sister, Ami, just got married and…she and 200 other people got sick at the wedding. So someone had to take the free honeymoon package that Ami had won – and it ends up being Olive and Ami’s bother-in-law, Ethan taking the trip. Thing is they don’t like each other, and now here they are trapped together on a 10 day vacation in Maui.

This one is laugh out loud, funny, sweet, and crazy!

I love how Olive knows herself. She’s confident about her body, not so confident in other areas of her life like her being a bad luck charm (she always gets into a jam), but her voice is strong in this book and I love it, quirks and all.
This story starts off with madness, I was cackling! It was so out there and fun. I love the Torres family which is loud, large and drama filled. I love that Olive’s twin, Ami is a bargain hunter and got practically everything for her wedding, for FREE. I love that it’s in Maui because I’m an island girl from Hawaii (Oahu to be exact) but yes…Maui is MAGICAL.
Olive and Ethan run into people on Maui and it takes everything to the next level! Their “hate” turns into like, attraction and…love.
It’s not an easy story of enemies to lovers…there are others involved in this story, like Ami and her new hubby, Dane. So things are not that easy for Olive and Ethan and that to me was definitely realistic!
Left me feeling happy in the end and wishing this was a rom-com movie…

Dane, Dane, Dane…eww.
Like I said earlier, the twin thing is done for me. I think I read three twin books last week alone and not intentionally! 😫 I love the bond between twins but other than that…and the whole twins dating siblings thing is a little weird for me.

I loved this book and it’s my second Christina Lauren book that I’ve read. I can see why they are very popular in the contemporary romance genre and I look forward to reading more books from them.

Book Review | Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6)

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Format: eBook (owned)

Pages: 384

Categories: Historical Romance

Everything has a price…

Railway magnate Tom Severin is wealthy and powerful enough to satisfy any desire as soon as it arises. Anything—or anyone—is his for the asking. It should be simple to find the perfect wife—and from his first glimpse of Lady Cassandra Ravenel, he’s determined to have her. But the beautiful and quick-witted Cassandra is equally determined to marry for love—the one thing he can’t give.

Everything except her…

Severin is the most compelling and attractive man Cassandra has ever met, even if his heart is frozen. But she has no interest in living in the fast-paced world of a ruthless man who always plays to win.

When a newfound enemy nearly destroys Cassandra’s reputation, Severin seizes the opportunity he’s been waiting for. As always, he gets what he wants—or does he? There’s one lesson Tom Severin has yet to learn from his new bride:

Never underestimate a Ravenel.

The chase for Cassandra’s hand may be over. But the chase for her heart has only just begun…

Lisa Kleypas for me is one of my auto-buy author. Her books just does it for me when I need to escape and bask in a happily ever after.

Cassandra is the last Ravenel who needs to find her happily ever after and the man to offer it to her is a self-made man named Tom Severin. The two of them are total opposites though – he’s very pragmatic and intelligent. Cassandra is friendly, social and loves to read fiction novels.

Tom wants her because he’s bored with everything else but Cassandra wants more than just to be chased. She wants a happily ever after with a man who is different than the rest.

It’s a Lisa Kleypas book so it’s an automatic like from me! I don’t read many historical romance books anymore, but she’s a must read for me. I read it in one sitting.
Tom is not the usual alpha male type love interest. He’s a shrewd businessman but he’s also more comfortable with rules and how things work because he is an engineer! I think it’s funny how he didn’t understand fictional novels and the point of them! 😅 Tom had a rough childhood and though at times I thought he was oh so cold especially with Bazzle – I understood why. Personally I liked his style in the bedroom because he was so attentive and careful with Cassandra and that was so sweet.
Their romance is a slow burn. Tom wants to possess her like he can buy everything else, and he doesn’t do “love”. His claims heart is frozen but Cassandra is a flame and his undoing.
It gave me all the warm feelings I want in a romance book and it’s much needed during these stressful times.

Cassandra doesn’t stand out very much in personality but she’s the last Ravenel. She’s gorgeous, golden, sweet and warm. All she wants is a nice husband and to have her own family. She’s endowed with a voluptuous body and has to deal with how people perceive her because of her looks. With Tom, she’s patient.
I think I would have liked to learn or meet Tom’s family. But I wonder because they were mentioned and Lisa Kleypas does so good at writing romance series covering a whole family…will Tom’s family get their own series? Because I’d read it all.
I can’t say Tom chases Cassandra, like the title implies…he actually pushes her away! But in the end he can’t help himself and just has to be with her.
Trigger: sexual assault

Cassandra thawed Tom’s frozen heart and I loved watching it happen. There was no enemies to lovers tension between them, but there is friendship and attraction. I love how Cassandra would suggests books for him to read and he’d come back with a one sentence assessment of a book. He’s so straight-forward, but there is hope for him with Cassandra by his side haha. This story left me with warm happy feelings at the end and that’s exactly what I needed. Overall, I enjoyed this last edition to the Ravenel series very much.

Book Review | Always Never Yours

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Always Never Yours

Authors: Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

Format: Hardcover (owned)

Pages: 336

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Shakespeare

**Shouldn’t a girl get to star in her own love story?**

Seventeen-year-old Megan Harper is about due for her next sweeping romance. It’s inevitable—each of her relationships starts with the perfect guy and ends with him falling in love . . . with someone else. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, Megan focuses on pursuing her next fling, directing theater, and fulfilling her dream college’s acting requirement in the smallest role possible.

So when she’s cast as Juliet (yes, *that* Juliet) in her high school’s production, it’s a complete nightmare. Megan’s not an actress, and she’s used to being upstaged—both in and out of the theater. In fact, with her mom off in Texas and her dad remarried and on to baby #2 with his new wife, Megan worries that, just like her exes, her family is moving on without her.

Then she meets Owen Okita, an aspiring playwright inspired by Rosaline from Shakespeare’s *R+J*. A character who, like Megan, knows a thing or two about short-lived relationships. Megan agrees to help Owen with his play in exchange for help catching the eye of a sexy stagehand/potential new boyfriend. Yet Megan finds herself growing closer to Owen, and wonders if he could be the Romeo she never expected.

In their fresh and funny debut, Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka break down the high school drama to find there’s always room for familial love, romantic love, and—most importantly—self-love.

I read the book, If I’m Being Honest by this author duo last year and really loved it. Always Never Yours was their first book, and it looks like these authors really love Shakespeare!

Megan Harper is a girl with a bright and brash personality, boys and girls are intimidated by her flirting prowess but underneath it all, she’s just a girl going through family issues and dying to get into the school of her choice and make her dream of being a director a reality.

She has a big role as Juliet in the Romeo & Juliet school play, but in reality she’s more of a Rosaline.

The cover – I love it. It makes me think of spring and it makes me happy!
Megan is not the typical MC geeky girl who catches the popular guy’s eye and she in turn becomes popular. Nope, Megan is popular because has a reputation as a flirt, she’s smart, very confident, friendly, and has a dating past. She’s the girl who likes to hook-up, so way for being sex positive in this book. Megan is complicated thought because she’s hiding many insecurities too. She may date a lot of guys but she never ends up a long-term girlfriend. Kind of like the whole saying always a bridesmaid and never the bride.
This author duo really know their Shakespeare and do an awesome job incorporating into a modern day story. Also I enjoyed the diversity in the book with the different characters and even a queer budding romance and the challenges that occur with someone who isn’t out yet.
It’s a friend to lovers romance, but I like that it went slow with Owen Okita. I love how shy, quiet and thoughtful Owen was – opposite to Megan’s personality. They balance each other well. But he was for sure my favorite character in the book.
Megan’s blended family life took half of the spotlight in this book. She has divorced parents, her dad has remarried and her mom is dating. They are still co-parenting as best they can but it leaves Megan trying to figure what a normal relationship is or one where a guy won’t leave her.

There’s a lot of cheating going on in this book! I don’t remember much about Romeo & Juliet, it’s been awhile since I watched the movie with Leonardo diCaprio and Clare Danes 😍 but I guess I really forgot about Rosaline! So Megan represents Rosaline but yeah, Owen was right about Megan’s picks in guys, they were never guys who was going to stick around.
I was so irritated with some of the cheating and almost-cheating. Megan was cool with everyone and everything until the real truth came out. It was kind of nice to see her mad at somebody! But whatever, young love and hookups and what not. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Triggers: divorce, cheating

This story was okay, I did skip a skim a few pages because I wanted to mostly read the scenes with Megan and Owen in them. When they finally get together it’s very sweet. It’s a story about young adults, awkwardness, and trying to figure what relationships and like/love is all about. I look forward to reading their next book.

ARC Review | An Heiress to Remember

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: An Heiress to Remember (The Gilded Age Girls Club, #3)

Author: Maya Rodale

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Categories: Historical Romance

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

Uptown Heiress

Once a society darling, Beatrice Goodwin has returned to Manhattan in a cloud of scandal. She is determined to save the bankrupt family business—Goodwin’s Department Store—and transform it into the shopping destination for Manhattan’s women. She will certainly never, ever sell it to Wes Dalton.

Downtown Rogue

Wes Dalton came from nowhere to possess one of the great fortunes of the Gilded Age, thanks to his premier department store located opposite Goodwin’s. This “Merchant Prince” never forgot the girl who got away—or her parents who made it clear that he’d never be rich, powerful or respectable enough. He has sworn revenge—until Beatrice’s return complicates everything.

Happy ever after at last . . . ?

Now Goodwin’s and Dalton’s are dueling to be the best department store in Manhattan. Beatrice and Wes will stop at nothing to impress, and not even the sparks flying between them will get in the way of their fierce rivalry. They’re competitors by day and lovers by night, until they’re forced to choose what is sweeter: revenge, success or happy ever after at last.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for giving me a chance to this eARC.

Here we have book three in The Gilded Age Girls Club series and what a fun book it is! In An Heiress to Remember, Beatrice Goodwin is young and in love with poor, Irish imigrant, Dalton. But as a girl raised in high society her path is already made by her parents, and she marries a Duke. She comes back to Manhattan, sixteen years later, divorced and ready to start living for herself.

Dalton has made himself one of the richest men in the world with his own store to rival Goodwin’s. He remembers the pain of losing Beatrice and revenge is on his mind. He has lived the past sixteen years with one goal in mind, to buy Goodwin’s. Dalton didn’t anticipate Beatrice’s return though and she’s in fighting form too.

Will Beatrice and Dalton have a second chance at romance or will their ambition and desires for fortune get in the way of their path to love?

The Gilded Age series is so much fun to read. I usually love reading historical romance fiction set in the regency era in Europe but this series has opened my eyes to the Gilded Age in America and it is pretty fantastic! I love how we see women coming to recognize and own their power in a time when women’s voices weren’t heard. And the setting of Manhattan, New York is perfect for showing the changes going on in this time.
Beatrice is vibrant and a force to be reckoned with yet she is also has her vulnerable moments. She followed the path her parents set her on, stayed in a loveless marriage until she finally got divorced. Divorce was looked down upon in her social circles so she braved the scandal of it all, just to be free. I admire her for that. And then taking on her family’s store and restoring it to glory was awesome, I was cheering her on!
The second chance romance storyline and enemies to lovers scenario between Beatrice and Dalton was nice because they are older and wiser. They are both adults, Beatrice at thirty-six years old wants more than love, which was refreshing. I totally understood that about her. As for Dalton, everything he’s done in life was to prove something to Beatrice. It was nice to see him let go of revenge to accept the love he’s always felt for her. Their competitive nature in business kept it exciting, also them reliving their youth in the store kept it sexy! 😉
The woman power in this book is great. I love that Beatrice found a community of woman to help her realize her dreams. 💪🏾
I was pretty fascinated with the retail war between Dalton and Beatrice and learned a lot about the power of shopping, or just the world of shopping. I mean…Target is to me what Dalton’s is to those Manhattanites. 😂 I would love to have a Goodwin’s though with a salon and a reading room, but I guess shopping malls have spas now, minus the reading room, unless you like to read at a Starbucks. Anyway, I loved that this book was about the department stores in Manhattan during the Gilded Age.

Dalton’s had a mantra and because this is an arc, I won’t put the quote, but his mantra reminded me of the movie, The Princess Bride and the words of Inigo Montoya! That line when he says, “I am Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!” Anyway that’s what I kept thinking of when Dalton would repeat his own mantra to remind himself of what he lost when Beatrice broke his heart. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️
There are some events that occur with Beatrice’s store where it seems like someone is trying to sabotage her progress. But I think when the villain is revealed it felt rushed.

I love the Gilded Age Series just for the time period alone! I really enjoyed the retail war between Beatrice and Dalton as they try to concentrate on the business side of things, but their attraction is too great. It was nice to see Dalton attracted to Beatrice’s intelligence and boss moves as the new president of her family’s company. He underestimated her but she sure showed him! 😅 This was a delightful, quick read where I was cheering the women on and I look forward to reading more in this series.

Book Review | Of Rioters & Royals

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Of Rioters & Royals (Swift Shadows, #1)

Author: M.L.Greye

Format: eBook (borrowed, Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 421

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Disclaimer: **The author requested I read and review her book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Emry is a Royal – a princess of Enlennd. As is tradition, she must have a knight at her side as her protector. The only way to appoint one is through The Trials. Her Challengers from the five regions of Enlennd must compete for the infamous title of Princess’s Knight. The problem, though, is that the people of Enlennd are split into two categories: Rioters and Royals. Finding the perfect knight may be the last of her worries. War is coming to Enlennd.

Declan is a Rioter. An upriser. An anarchist. He mistrusts the Jewels – the sovereign family of Enlennd. Yet, he is offering himself up as a Challenger in The Trials. The Mistress, leader of the Rioters, has a mission for him. The first step is for him to become the Princess’s Knight. He is ready for the task, until he actually meets Emry and discovers that betraying her would be much more difficult than he’d thought.

Thank you to author, M.L. Greye for reaching out to me and asking I read and review her book. All opinions of the book are my own.

What stood out right away to me is this book has a very interesting magic system involving a person’s eye color. Each eye color defines what types of powers a person has. And I don’t think I’ve read a book with that kind of magic, so that was pretty cool.

Princess Emry is about to be assigned a knight and to find one the challengers must go through a trial. One of those challengers is Declan, who is there for other reasons. Will he win the trials and be her knight? Or something more?

I liked the different magic system in this book where everyone’s eye color determines their powers. I don’t think I’ve read a book with that magic before, so I thought that was very creative and unique.
If you like romance in a YA fantasy, this one has a sweet romance. It’s not insta love but Emry and Declan have a past that we don’t know about until he comes to court as a challenger. Then we learn how they met before. I love how they are a Pair, no love triangles here!
There is action, secrets revealed and twists I wasn’t expecting. It’s a story between good and evil which is always inspiring.
I like Emry’s sisterly bond with Citrine, they were fun together. They are best friends and I’m glad they have each other.

The beginning with the prologue almost made me dread reading this story. But that’s just me, I’ve learned I have a hard time getting into books with long prologue giving the history about a kingdom, because it feels like a textbook. I would rather learn history throughout the story.
The prologue threw me a bit off so I didn’t really get into the story until halfway through and once I did, it’s a very quick read.
Character wise – Emry is obviously the main character who will have more powers than anyone and is a leader, I expected that. But I was drawn more to Declan because he is the one affected when some secrets are revealed.

I enjoyed the twists in the story and kudos to the magic system being unique and refreshing. There is romance, action and a fight between good and evil. I think this was a solid first book for a series!

Book Review | House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Format: Hardcover/ebook (both owned)

Pages: 803

Categories: Urban Fantasy, Romance, Adult Fiction

Bound by blood.
Tempted by desire.
Unleashed by destiny.

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

I started this book over the weekend and I was reading the hard cover version but it’s an 800 page book! More like 799 pages and the acknowledgements are what takes it to 803 but my hand was getting tired holding the book at 20% into the story so to be able to read it at nightie the dark, I went ahead and bought the eBook as well! 😅 That allowed me to finish the book last night, finally.

But I think reading it slow helped me immerse myself into this very layered world building. We have a world filled with angels, wolves, fae, witches and everything in the fantasy realm. There are different classes of them, there is a war between the oppressors and the oppressed. It’s a story about rebellion, family, friendship, and so much more. It was a lot and I absolutely enjoyed it!

I’ve been a fan of SJM since Throne of Glass, but admittedly I didn’t fall in love with ToG in the first book, but by the second one I was hooked. For her ACOTAR series, I was addicted right away and I think what I truly love about SJM’s books are her characters. And not only her main characters, it’s the side characters sometimes that grab my attention even more than the main ones! Here’s the ones I loved in this book:
- I enjoyed our MC – Bryce, she’s seen as a party girl but she’s hiding a few secrets. But the best thing about her? Her love and loyalty to people she cares about. She’s imperfect but her heart is big.
- Hunt Athalar – hot fallen angel, Bryce assumes he is an alphahole (you know the usually urban fantasy type male LOL), and he does come off that way but we learn more about him and his tragic past.
- Danika. 😭 Oh Danika. And then there is Ruhn, Lehabah, Fury (so intrigued about her), Juniper, and such a wide cast of players in this first book.
Bryce and Hunt – I liked that it wasn’t love at first sight, they become friends, thank goodness. Their relationship is tested too…yes there are some hot moments, actually less than I expected though.
Bryce and Danika. Yay for Bryce and Hunt but honestly…my favorite love story in this book is Bryce and her best-friend Danika. It made me cry in the end. 🥺😢❤️
The first half of this book is world building AND it reads like a mystery. So the beginning goes slowly as we dig into murders happening in the city, it’s a mystery to be solved. The action comes in full force at the end and that ending, is pretty epic. It left my heart full and overflowing. Reading this book I felt like I was expecting more fantasy because it’s like a reflex reading SJM books haha…but I do read a lot of urban fantasy as well from well known and indie authors. I think SJM did a pretty good job with her first urban fantasy book and definitely put her style on it.
Loved the twists and turns for sure, it kept my reading until the end with no skipping. The personal dramas tired in really nice with the murder investigations and then ending as I said, was crazy.

Did we need 799 pages? Maybe not, especially when Bryce and Hunt kept hitting dead ends in their investigation. But I understand the world building with all these governors in charge of a sect of the city, all the different supernaturals and the class differences, etc… There are MANY characters to know in this book, characters outside the city, and there are many worlds to discover. There is a lot going.
Is it me? Or are the titles of each powerful person overused in this story? Probably in other SJM books too but yes everyone in this city is powerful and have some ominous title attached to their name! 🤦🏻‍♀️ It was getting a bit overdone.
One aspect of the story or world building I found interesting is where it starts to mix technology along with ancient lore and mythology. I think it mentioned the year this takes place is like…15035 or something of that nature.
I don’t know if it’s me but I was expecting this book to be “hotter” because of all the urban fantasy books I’ve read. I mean it had it’s moments but I felt like this was pretty tamed compared to the ones I’ve read. And am I the only wary of Bryce and Hunt being together forever? I mean…look at TOG and ACOTAR lol…so…I’m not going to say this relationship is set in stone because you know how SJM is with her romance storylines.
Triggers: drug use, graphic violence, sexual harassment, death, grief

I was sucked into this intricate new world created by SJM and I loved it! It pulled at my heartstrings especially when it came to Bryce and Danika. 💕 I loved the twists and turns, the epic fight and battle at the end. I was hooked on Bryce and her story, watching her climb through grief and finally embracing who and what she is with Hunt at her side. This book transported me into another world (because our own world news has been pretty horrible) and it’s exactly what I needed to take my mind of things! It’s not perfect by any means but in the end it accomplished it’s goal – it made my heart feel, my eyes tear and make me want the next book…today. It’s another series I’ll be addicted too I’m sure, I loved it and and I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book.

Book Review | Find Me Their Bones (Bring Me Their Hearts, #2)

My Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Find Me Their Bones (Bring Me Their Hearts, #2)

Author: Sara Wolf

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 400

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

No one can save her.

In order to protect Prince Lucien d’Malvane’s heart, Zera had to betray him. Now, he hates the sight of her. Trapped in Cavanos as a prisoner of the king, she awaits the inevitable moment her witch severs their magical connection and finally ends her life.

But fate isn’t ready to give her up just yet.

With freedom coming from the most unlikely of sources, Zera is given a second chance at life as a Heartless. But it comes with a terrible price. As the king mobilizes his army to march against the witches, Zera must tame an elusive and deadly valkerax trapped in the tunnels underneath the city if she wants to regain her humanity.

Winning over a bloodthirsty valkerax? Hard. Winning back her friends before war breaks out? A little harder.

But a Heartless winning back Prince Lucien’s heart?

The hardest thing she’s ever done.

I’m addicted to this series. I started reading the sequel after I read the first book and the only regret I have is I have to wait for the third book. 🥺

Book two takes off right after Bring Me Their Hearts and that cliffhanger. Zera still doesn’t have her heart but she’s lost the friends she made when they didn’t know she was a Heartless. Now they know and they don’t trust her and she doesn’t trust herself around them either, especially Lucien. So why does he keep trying to see her still?

Zera is on a new mission to get her heart back from her new witch and this time she won’t let her feelings for Lucien come between her and her real heart.

I love how Zera has to pick up the pieces from shattering her “unheart” and face the people who now hate or are afraid of her. She resolved to focus on getting her heart back and not fall over Lucien like before. And I really loved her new dangerous mission because we get to meet Yorl, a celeon and see Zera antagonize her. Plus it is NOT a love triangle, yay! She just makes a new friend and she needs one after she lost her old friends. She’s as sassy as ever, wearing a smile as her armor, I kept thinking, “Chin up! That’s my girl!” lol.
This mission involves getting very close to a dangerous creature the valkerax, which is a giant wyrm with serrated teeth and sounds crazy frightening. But Zera wants her heart back so bad…she needs to do this, even if she dies each time she’s with it!
The introduction of a new villain…Lucien’s sister, Varia and I really hate her. UGH. I don’t like her but I like that this story has a villain that isn’t so clear cut evil. People love her, adore her and Zera is bound to her now. So how does Zera not hurt Lucien again and yet break free from Varia somehow. Varia also has grand plans of peace between witches and humans but to others it sounds like dominant control over everyone.
The story never lags, it moves on hurtling towards the end and ANOTHER cliff-hanger. We watch Zera deal with her conflicted feelings about Lucien, her heart, her fears, her humor, her many deaths dealing with the valkerax. She’s so freaking brave and I love her. I want her to have a happy ending somehow.

Hmmm? Another cliffhanger…😭 and I need book three. TODAY.
This book is killing me with Zera and Lucien being apart – like…I need them to just come together and let bygones be bygones. ☹️ I want them both happy!
Triggers: violence, blood, self-harm (I really hate Varia)

I’m so glad I decided to read this series and I am going to scour NetGalley daily hoping the third book is available for request because I need to know what happens to Zera and the whole crew. Even Varia…is there a chance for her to redeem herself? I am a new fan of this author and I hope to read more of her work. I need the third book – that is all. 😍

Book Review | Bring Me Their Hearts

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Bring Us Their Hearts

Author: Sara Wolf

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 370

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance

Zera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly.

Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.

Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him – every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him – until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The Prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat.

So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all.

Winner takes the loser’s heart.

Literally.

It was a crazy week of negative news all over the world and I decided to pick up this book and read it. I read it one night, finally reading past midnight (it’s been awhile since a book kept me up!).

A Heartless, Zera wants her heart back but her witch won’t give it back until she completes a mission to prevent another war between witches and humans. The mission? Take the heart of the Crown Prince, Lucien d’Malvane. And I mean, TAKE THE HEART, not win his heart…she has to pull it out of his chest. 😳 By the end of the book, can she do it?

This was pure escapism and so fun for me to read! Yes, a bit morbid and dark at times, but Zera is on a mission to take the heart of someone. Like she literally has to put her hand into his chest and rip it out. 😳
Zera is a Heartless, she “died” when she was 16 but now she’s immortal just as long her witch has her heart. I love Zera, she’s kind of all over the place, but her humor is her armor and she cracked me up a lot. I felt for her so much, she just wants her heart back and her memories of her past life with her mom and dad. For the most part she can pass off as human, but when the hunger in her takes over she turns into a monster and kills. 😥 I am rooting so hard for Zera and I hate her tough choices but it makes this story so addicting.
Malachite – Prince Lucien’s bodyguard is awesome and I love how he and Zera tease each other. He has Prince Lucien’s back and I like learning about him being a Beneather or Bene-Thar. As I said, I love the humor!
The world building is rich with witchlore, a war between witches and humans and different kinds of beings in this world like celeons (like cat people) and of course the Heartless. I was immersed into the world right in the beginning.
There was action, humor, a romance budding between a cold prince and a funny Heartless – of course she’s supposed to take his heart though, which makes things complicated. I loved the angst.
Then ending is killer! It’s crazy and wild and a cliff-hanger. Thank goodness I had the foresight to borrow the sequel at the same time!

Lucien comes off arrogant and irritating but that doesn’t deter Zera. She gets under his skin and it’s so good that I wanted MORE of them.
Triggers: death, violence

This was the perfect series to start during this crazy time with the everything shutting down around us in the real world. I loved learning what it means to be Heartless and reading quickly to the end to see if Zera could really take Lucien’s heart. I liked the court intrigue and the world building. Zera was made a Heartless without a choice…and now she has a chance to get her heart back. Will she? I’m addicted to this series and cannot wait to find out what happens next.

Mini Book Review | Death Game (Supernatural Battle:Vampire Towers #3)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Death Game (Supernatural Battle: Vampire Towers, #3)

Author: Kelly St. Clare

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 356

Categories: Romance, Urban Fantasy, Vampires

The king commands at 3:30 a.m.

I’ve screwed up big time. Now, I’m facing the damning consequences.

The walls are closing in as I balance duty to grandmother’s memory with my impossible feelings for Kyros. Then there’s the freakin’ human-vampire hybrid thing to deal with.

The problem is, I’m no longer willing to lose the person I’ve gambled against from the start.

Our fates hinge on a single roll of the dice, and one wrong move could collapse the tower of cards I’ve painstakingly built.

If that happens, I’ll lose more than I ever bargained for.

Here we come to the end of the Vampire Tower series and I’d say it’s a great ending to a creative series. Once again, the “game” (think Monopoly) rules the future of the opposing ruling vampire families. Basi is caught splendidly in the middle. She has fallen for Kyros, but more than that, she loves his family too. But how does Bas honor her grandmother’s wishes? The same grandmother who hated vampires?

Kyros and Basi’s relationship is so crazy – mostly because they both don’t want to give in or there is a big lack of understanding from both of them. Kyros is a little old school and or just “old” and he wants to be the hero. He finally learns that Basilia is her own hero. I was just happy when they get their happily ever after.

This was a quick series to get through with lots of drama in the romantic, family and friendship aspects. I love Tommy and Basi’s friendship and glad things turned out for the best. There is a lot more sex in this one since Kyros and Basi have exchanged more blood with each other.

Overall, I enjoyed this series! It was funny, hot, and the romantic relationship could be aggravating at times though but they get their happily ever after. I look forward to reading more urban fantasy from this author.

Triggers: blood, violence

ARC Review | It Sounded Better in My Head

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: It Sounded Better in My Head

Author: Nina Kenwood

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 272

Publication Date: April 7, 2020

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

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

When her parents announce their impending divorce, Natalie can’t understand why no one is fighting, or at least mildly upset. Then Zach and Lucy, her two best friends, hook up, leaving her feeling slightly miffed and decidedly awkward. She’d always imagined she would end up with Zach one day―in the version of her life that played out like a TV show, with just the right amount of banter, pining, and meaningful looks. Now everything has changed, and nothing is quite making sense. Until an unexpected romance comes along and shakes things up even further.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

It Sounded Good in My Head is a surprising and delightful read that left me smiling. The story is set in Australia and follows Natalie who is full of teenage insecurities and who can blame her? She’s suffered from bad acne in her adolescent years, and it was so bad she was teased relentlessly. Medication has helped her but it’s left her scarred, and so anxious. Thank goodness for her best friends Zach and Lucy, who know the best of her and maybe this someone new who will see past her insecurities and hopefully like her too.

Natalie’s teenage insecurities are on point. I never suffered from bad acne until after I turned 19, but my sister suffered from it in middle school. It eats away at your confidence, makes you feel horrible and especially in high school where everything seems magnified – it can be awful. Natalie’s fears have made her into an anxious person, especially about her appearance. All the thoughts in her head, I’ve had them – haven’t we all?
So happy Natalie had two best friends, Zach and Lucy, she could count on. I liked knowing her true thoughts about when said two best friends started dating each other, but the fact they might a cool trio made me happy Natalie had a support group. And I love Zach’s family who treated her like their family also.
The awkwardness in this book is so funny and cringe-worthy, I felt for Natalie at the first party she attends with Owen and Alex. It was giving me anxiety just reading it because I wanted her to be okay. And all the awkwardness between her and Alex hooking up or trying to get together was so real.
Natalie’s voice is strong. I got swept up in her thoughts and insecurities. We even get back story on some of her reactions, like the boys who teased her about her pimples. 😒 She tells us how she became so anxious – and we see her try to wade through social situations and a lot of times failing at them. What I love about Natalie is that yes she will flee a situation and break down and cry but that doesn’t stop her from getting up the next day and living her life as best she can with her anxiety. It’s scary to like a boy when you aren’t even sure what is there to like about yourself. Alex was the somewhat non-perfect guy to like because hiding under what she thought was “perfection” was someone as insecure with his life also. We don’t have it together folks! I mean, who really does?

The story starts off with Natalie’s parents announcing their divorce and though it seems like a big issue, I felt like it faded to the background. Maybe it was how Natalie was coping with the situation though – she does talk more to her parents about it closer to the end of the book but it’s an amicable parting so maybe there was much drama there to begin with.
Natalie and Alex’s relationship happens pretty quick in the timeline of this book but it’s due to the both of them stumbling around trying to figure what they are doing. It’s not insta-love since she’s known Alex for a long time, but Natalie tries to move the relationship to the next level pretty quick, again, due to insecurities.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this book! Natalie’s insecurities and anxieties are so relatable. I liked watching her go from a girl who seems absolutely terrified to be at a party to the girl telling Alex what she feels and showing him her scars. 👏🏼 I was so proud of her. This is a wonderful debut book that teens will be able to relate to and I look forward to reading more books from this author.