The Throwaways by. Greta Kelly | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Throwaways

Author: Greta Kelly

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 10/20/26

Publisher: Sideways Books

Categories: Mystery, Spy Thriller, Suspense, Cozy

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

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

The Calloway women are notorious for three Olympic-level banter, an inexplicable fear of dolls, and secrets.

And one of these things is going to get them killed.

Aster Calloway only sold her grandmother’s Fabergé music box on eBay to finance her mom’s mayoral campaign. It’s not like Poppy Calloway has any real business running for office, but the only other candidate is her book-banning high school nemesis—and she’s in the lead. But what Aster doesn’t realize is that selling the heirloom has toppled the house of lies her grandmother, Iris, has been living in for the past forty years.

Because hidden inside that jewel-encrusted music box was a list of names—names that protected defected KGB operative Iris, her daughter, and her granddaughter. Now the list is gone, and a creepy doll is on Poppy’s doorstep, which can only mean that the list is in play…and the three most dangerous spies in the world are on the

The one who broke Iris’s heart.

The one who gave her Poppy.

And the one who wants all the other spies, and especially those bickering Calloway women, dead.

Content Warning: violence

+ I was offered this book to read and review but it’s not usually what I would pick up to read – I tend to read more romance. But the synopsis sounded intriguing and sure enough this was a fun spy thriller read.

+ I love the three generations of women in this story. There are three POVs: Iris, Poppy and Aster. Aster is in college, Poppy is her mom and running for mayor and then there is Iris, Aster’s grandmother and we learn that she’s been hiding secrets for a very long time. Iris is an elderly woman who can kick ass – it was fun getting to know her and her secrets.

+~ Though this isn’t the type of book I usually read I enjoyed the different generations of the women and all the action. It’s rare to see an older woman actually carrying out the action in action scenes, go Iris! I did feel Poppy’s frustration with her mom though when she wasn’t being up front with her, especially with them being gunned down at every turn. I mean, imagine learning about all these secrets while being shot at and meeting all these people from your mom’s past you never knew about. There is a lot of drama between Iris and Poppy because of the secrets that are revealed throughout the book.

Final Thoughts:

This is basically a cozy spy thriller, which sounds like it won’t work and is totally out of the realm of my comfort zone, but I still think this was a fun read. Definitely check this out if you like the sound of a non-traditional spy thriller.

Read if you like:

funny yet action packed spy thriller
three generations of family
secrets

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow by. Catríona Moran | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️.5

Title: The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow

Author: Catríona Moran

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 480

Publication Date: 11/10/26

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Categories: Fantasy, Romance

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

Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Scholar. Healer. Harlot.

In her house, the villainy is her.

Magdalena Overmorrow has been called a scholar, a healer, a harlot. She carves out some measure of freedom for the women of Astoleyn, risking capture and death by caring for them and performing forbidden abortions. When she’s betrayed by a close confidante, she faces banishment to the realm’s desolate northernmost city as an accused witch. There, she must await her trial and possible doom under the watchful aegis of the Lord Proctor of Cair Gramora, a man so pious and humorless it is rumored that he has never once laughed in his life.

When she arrives, though, Magda is surprised to find that the Lord Proctor isn’t the grizzled old priest she expected but a man barely older than she is. As cold and mysterious and beautiful as the mountains at the cair’s northern border, he holds her life in his hands. One word from him could send her to the stake or worse, but she can’t help her fascination with a man and fellow scholar who is more than he appears to be, and the dangerous secrets he is clearly keeping. As her trial draws closer and the intrigue of the isolated cair threatens them both, she and the Lord Proctor must form an uneasy alliance that could either save her life or lead her to martyrdom and ruin.

Content Warning: misogyny, medical abortion, burning someone

+ “Scholar. Healer. Harlot.” Those three words captured me right away. This story is about Magdalena Overmorrow, a very smart woman, who is a healer and has magic – and she uses her knowledge to help women in distress, and is named a harlot because she enjoys sex. I love Magda. Not only was she smart, brave, and positive in a bad situation, she was kind and nice to people even when people had judged her on rumors. She’s a good person in a world where women are judged harshly. So my favorite part of the story is Magda, she is strong without a man and willing to help women because she knows it’s the right thing to do.

+ Madga is about to go on trial for her crimes of being a healer and helping women get medical abortions. But she is sent North under the supervision of Lord Proctor who is like a priest in Cair Gramora. He is pious, and has quite a reputation. I thought her being sent away to be watched over was very interesting because she was like a prisoner but not really since she had free reign of where she could go. There were some interesting secondary characters too, like I love Magda’s friend Jula, she’s mostly in the beginning and end of the story but I love their relationships and how they interact. Also, Magda befriends so many people in Gramora like Cass and Kless.

+~ The forbidden romance was a very slow burn and the spice only happens in fantasies, which kind of fits because of who Lord Proctor is but I really wished things were different for both of them. Magda is a woman with a bad reputation. I actually enjoyed Magda and Morgan’s interactions because he is so pious and stern, and Magda is his opposite. She’s personable and funny. I liked the two of them together.

+ Magda is going to be sentenced to death if she cannot get witnesses to help her out and things aren’t looking good as the days go by but throughout the story we get accounts from women she’s helped or interacted with who tell their story. This story is very character driven, because nothing much happens as we lead up to the day of her sentencing except we get to see Magda get to know the life and people in Gramora. She’s an amazing woman and without spoiling the ending, I’d say it was a bittersweet ending and not exactly how I wanted it to turn out for her but I can see why it did end that way.

Final Thoughts:

I loved Magda and her fight for women’s right to a medical abortion even as she is judged severely for it. She’s brave, kind, funny, and a brave person. I did wish the ending was different for Magda but I can also understand why it ended that way. I will say I loved the writing and couldn’t put this down so I’m excited to see what this author writes next!

Read if you like:

women’s healthcare
forbidden romance
brave FMC

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Whatever the Case May Be by. Kara Collins | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️.5

Title: Whatever the Case May Be

Author: Kara Collins

Pages: 378

Format: ebook (kindle+)

Categories: Contemporary, Romance, Lawyer Romance, Second Chance Romance

Shira Wexler has had her fair share of trials (maybe tribulations too, whatever those are).

But now, at thirty-two, she’s on track to make partner at her law firm. Her perfect-on-paper boyfriend just handed her an engagement ring. She’s finally embraced life as a New Yorker and has *almost* forgotten about her former life in rural, small-town Texas.

Then she’s assigned to a career-changing case in Dallas, and the opposing counsel is all too familiar—Cole Wilson, Shira’s first-ever courtroom rival during the mock trial competition in high school. He was her first… well, a lot of things. And now Shira’s carefully planned future is clear as mud.

Cole hasn’t heard a word from Shira since she mysteriously fled Texas as a teenager, breaking his heart in the process. Sixteen years later, he’s facing a pending divorce while suffocating under the impossible task of trying to prove himself at his father’s law firm. The realities of adulthood mean he’s far from the hopeful romantic he used to be.

But coming face-to-face with Shira forces them both to examine the outwardly perfect lives they’ve built.

As they battle each other by day and relitigate their past by night, old feelings begin to emerge, and long-buried truths come to light.

Both really need a win right now, but focusing on work isn’t easy when you’re staying in the same hotel as the one who got away.

Content Warning: suicide attempt

+ Shira is a lawyer trying to make partner at the law firm she is working at and is determined to get on a case that will help her do that. She’s also 32 and ready to settle down with her perfect boyfriend, Miguel, except things are really perfect with him. It’s something she has to deal with but her career comes first. But when this case has her working oppose her ex high school boyfriend, old memories and feelings come up and this time Shira can’t run away from these problems, it’s time to face it. I like that this story is a romance with depth because although it’s a second chance romance, Shira and Cole are also trying to find their way through challenges in their personal lives.

+ This second chance romance between Shira and Cole had it’s ups and downs. They had an innocent high school love but something came between them that ended things, some of these things were things Shira kept secret which sucks for Cole. I can see why Cole was so hurt, but I can also understand that Shira was young and a mess with what was happening in her family life. I love how they reunite, the lawyer stuff brought the tension since they are on opposing sides. There are lots of unresolved issues between them but it was nice seeing them work things out eventually because there is undeniable sparks between them.

+~ The story is told with flashbacks to 16 years ago when Shira and Cole first met and fell in love in high school. I didn’t mind the flashbacks. There are a lot of things happening in Shira and Cole’s personal lives. She’s trying to make partner, she’s estranged from her mother, and now Cole is back in her life. Cole is going through a divorce, working for his father (and hates it because his dad is awful), he’s a dad and now Shira is back in his life. So these adults have a lot going and I think at times the pacing was off because of it. A lot of the lawyer stuff were so detailed and some things just went over my head. I kept thinking, wow, this author must have been a lawyer or they did their research very well! (btw, She’s a lawyer!). Though the pacing felt off at times, everything is tied up nicely at the end – I just wish some things weren’t rushed, like her talking to her mom again. There are some dark times in this story which I did not expect.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was an engaging read that was hard to put down. I enjoyed the second chance romance between Shira and Cole and loved how they were lawyers on opposing sides. Some of the lawyer stuff was so detailed it went over my head, and sometimes the pacing felt off because there is a lot going on in the story – there are family issues, things unresolved from the past, and the characters going through changes in their life path. But I’m glad Shira and Cole get a happy ending. Definitely check this out if you want to read a lawyer romance. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Read if you like:

lawyers
second chance romance
family issues

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

This Wretched Alchemy by. Tina Mars | ARC and ALC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️.5

Title: This Wretched Alchemy (Ruinous Fate, #1)

Author: Tina Mars

Pages: 400

Format: audiobook

Listening Hours: 15 hours 45 min (approx.)

Narrator (s): Jennifer Ikeda; Soneela Nankani

Publisher: Macmillan Audiobooks

Publication Date: 11/10/26

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Audiobook, Series

BETRAYAL.

In a fractured realm ruled by warring noble Houses and the tyrannical Prime, the most coveted power lies in god-shards – divine fragments that grant extraordinary abilities to those who possess them.

Revel’s brother was murdered in pursuit of one.

A DEADLY GAME.

For avenging him, Revel’s life is on the line. Forced into a treacherous bargain, she must compete in the Call – a bloody contest of heirs vying for the throne – on behalf of her enemies, and assassinate the realm’s most formidable alchemist, the Warbringer.

Victory means her family’s freedom. Failure means death.

A MONSTROUS POWER.

The Prime sets the heirs on a brutal race to find the god-shard that could shift the balance of the realms. Everyone wants the win, but Revel just wants the kill. Except, the Warbringer isn’t the monster she was promised. Bound by secrets of his own, he is as dangerous as he is disarming.

With betrayals mounting and desire warring with duty, Revel must decide who to trust in a game where even the gods have their favorites. This Wretched Alchemy by Tina Mars is a dark, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romantasy where love and loyalty become the very weapons that could destroy everything.

A LOVE THAT CAN CUT DEEPER THAN ANY BLADE.

Content Warning: death, violence

+ The narrator did a great job doing all the voices for this story! Her voice kept me engaged.

+ This is a world of alchemy where there are different houses with different powers. It sounds like the world takes inspiration from ancient Rome plus some Asian mythologies and culture which I thought was quite fascinating. Revel is traumatized by the death of her older brother and father – her sister and mother hate her because of events that took place involving the deaths. So Revel wants to prove to them she can fix things. She is forced to participate in a trial whose mission is to retrieve a shard with elemental magic and the journey to get the shard is full of danger and monsters. I felt like the story was a little slow moving with more action in the middle and the end, which I enjoyed. The plot twist at the end, which I sort of guessed, made things very interesting. I do wish I felt more connected to the characters.

+~ Revel is not the most lovable character. I thought she was funny at times though because she was full of rage and just didn’t care about people. But she did have a soft spot for Chloe, which I thought was sweet. Trusting is not something that comes easy to Revel because people have let her down, but trusting anyone during this trial is even more deadly. I felt bad for Revel because of what happened when she was younger and how her sister and mom perceives her. All she wanted was love but is also afraid of it because of what she lost in the past.

+ I enjoyed the cast of characters like Dex, Chloe and Mauve. Axus, the MMC felt like someone that was hard to crack. Yes, he was menacing and had a reputation and Revel is supposed to kill him as part of her mission, but there were times he couldn’t help himself around Revel and a romance brews between them. I also loved Orphy which is a like a sentient serpent tattoo on Revel.

+~ The romance is a slow burn, and yet insta-love by the end? There is not a lot of spice, so I’d call this one steamy instead. And yes it’s one of those books where spice comes at an inopportune time in the book. I feel like I needed more build up between Revel and Axus, but the ending clears up some things on his end. It doesn’t end happily for them in this book because of some secrets and betrayal so it will be interesting to see if they can make it work in book two.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was pretty good though I wish I had the ebook to read along with the audiobook because there were details about the world building I felt like I missed or maybe I would have felt more connection to the characters if I read it? I’m not sure but I did love the narrator – she did an awesome job bringing this story to life. I enjoyed the alchemy, found family and the action. The romance is one to watch since it went from enemies to lovers to enemies. There are some secret and betrayals in this one though that was surprising so I’ll probably pick up book two when it comes out.

Read if you like:

alchemy magic
enemies to lovers
fierce FMC

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Tame the Dark by. Ella Fields | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: Tame the Dark

Author: Ella Fields

Pages: 491

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Categories: Fantasy, Dark Romance, Romantasy

When enemy heirs shelter together from the war, forbidden love sparks between bookshelves and behind dormitory doors…

When war erupts, heirs from across the continent shelter on sacred ground at the Archives of Avyshla. But our sense of safety is shaken when the enemy king sends his heir to join us.

Voran is not merely a prince but his uncle’s hunter and assassin. And what his uncle seeks belongs to my family—control of the wyverns—the Scale Crown. Although no one can spill blood on sacred ground, I fear the prince’s intentions are as sinister as he seems. He proves as much when danger breaches the isle, and he saves me to have me in his debt.

To survive, I make a secret deal with him.

Except survival soon becomes longing. A hunger for calloused hands, stifled breath, and accented murmurs that doesn’t end with the war. Instead, it blooms into something even more forbidden.

Something that could be my salvation—and the downfall of my kingdom.

A standalone romantasy with evil sunshine, enemies to lovers, and dark romance.

Content Warning: death, violence

+~ I’ve read one Ella Fields book and I thought it was pretty good and wanted to try her newest book. Ayla and other royal heirs/children are taking refuge on an island which houses The Archives of Avyshla, but then the enemy shows up, the Wolf Prince, Voran. He’s morally gray and a beast (literally he is a shapeshifter). The first part of this story takes place on this island where these royals have jobs the priestesses give them to stay busy. I thought it was strange at first that all of them are hanging out on the island staying safe. But while reading I didn’t see the point of knowing when they were going to do their chores or who’s turn it was to take a bath. It only gets interesting when Voran and Ayla interact because she’s an innocent and he’s got a scary, ruthless reputation. We learn a little about the conflict happening between the kingdoms, Voran’s uncle is laying siege to Ayla’s kingdom, but they can’t do much from the island and news comes sporadically which I thought was a little frustrating. I would have liked to know what was going on outside of the island.

+ I liked a few of the secondary characters, especially Celestine, who is Ayla’s best friend. I loved the baby wyvern, and later on I thought Ruvus was an interesting character. I think the person with the most growth is Ayla, she is someone who follows directions and doesn’t fight but I think near the end, she’s a tiny bit more assertive.

+ The romance is an enemies to lovers, forbidden romance. Voran is obsessed with Ayla but Ayla is so innocent she doesn’t know much about guys, just that he helped her so she is in his debt. He allows her to help him how to read but that means they spend a lot of time together. And all that forced proximity leads to kisses and then more. So in a way I felt like they were horny, college kids trying to find places to be alone and fool around! They get to know one another, and things get spicy! She likes him being in control. But things change when Ayla’s dad surrenders and Ayla is set to marry Voran’s uncle. I loved all the love confessions at the end though, swoon! I did love the two of them together and how opposite they were but so attracted to one another.

~ Throughout the book I kept thinking, this can’t be a standalone, because I felt like things weren’t progressing in the first part like I would have liked. I just kept wondering what was going on and why were they stuck at the Archives? I think I wanted more of the political intrigue and that does come in the second half of the book. But it didn’t feel balanced, and the pacing felt off because of the two parts. And even near the ending I was wondering if this was truly a standalone because Celestine’s story feels like could be a whole new book. Also, I want to know how Dusk will turn out. On a side note, there were some phrases that were repeated a bit too much throughout the book like “wriggled my lips”. 😅

Final Thoughts:

This is the kind of book that is good to vibe to plus it’s a standalone, which is nice. Though I do want a book about Celestine! It’s got a dark romance that isn’t super dark, and spice that’s is frequent but not too crazy. I think the two parts of the story made things unevenly paced so I did have some issues with that but Ayla and Voran’s romance kept me invested. They really are cute together because she’s soft and innocent and he’s hard and ruthless, but he’s obsessed with her. The love confessions were so sweet. I would have enjoyed it more if there was more political intrigue in the beginning as much as the end. But overall, this was a good escape.

Read if you like:

fantasy
fae and shapeshifters
dark romance, spicy
forced proximity

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Amid Clouds and Bones by. Ella Fields | Book Review – 3.5 stars

Mortal Things by. Marie Lu | ARC and ALC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Mortal Things

Author: Marie Lu

Format: eBook (NetGalley) and audiobook (netgalley)

Pages: 368

Listening Hours: approx. 10h 23m

Publication Date: 10/27/26

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); Macmillan Young Listeners

Categories: Young Adult, Gods, 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 Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) & Macmillan Young Listeners for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rose Lin Fairchild didn’t believe in gods, but one chose her anyway.

Rose despises Raven, the god of Death. His mysterious commands. His mercurial moods. His closed heart. But most of all, she loathes that she was forced to become his Harbinger, a human mercenary tasked to fulfil their god’s every want and whim. Still, she would do it again, because being a Harbinger is the only thing keeping her best friend alive.

When a murder rocks the world of the gods, Rose is suddenly thrust into the immortal realm’s spotlight as Raven’s heir. This is her chance to free her friend once and for all. But in order for her to ascend, she must first prove herself to the other gods—and the one person standing in her way is a fellow Harbinger.

Étienne Beauchard is notorious for his sly wit and charming good looks. Rose can’t stand that he is the one assigned to test her abilities, but as their initial hostility evolves into an intense attraction, they find that the gods’ secrets go deeper than they ever expected. Something is wrong in the immortal world, something that threatens to break their bond and engulf them all in war.

As Rose and Étienne fight to uncover the truth and trust each other with their hearts, they realize that everything hinges on the same How far would you go to save the person you love?

Content Warning: violence

+ The narrator for the audiobook did such an amazing job doing all the voices for this story.

+ Rose is a harbringer for the God of Death, Raven. She carries out tasks for him but now he has to pick a regent and it’s going to be Rose, but another God is challenging her. So in order to become regent for Raven, she has to pass a few trials. I thought this world of Gods and harbingers was very interesting. To become a harbinger someone must die so there are some crucial backstories to the characters in this book that are essential to the storyline.

+ There is a found family trope in this story especially because Rose was a foster child and then when she becomes a harbinger, she makes some friends. So I did like how this story was about relationships and it’s something I’ve come to notice about Marie Lu books and why I love them – relationships are complicated but explored a lot in her books, including this one. It gives depth to the story.

+ This is a young adult book and sticks to it, so the romance doesn’t have steam or spice, just some longing between two people who aren’t supposed to be together. I did like how it progressed.

+~ For some strange reason, I thought this was a standalone but I don’t think it is after that ending. I think pacing of the story was up and down – there were some slow parts in the middle, but it picks up again when some truths are revealed. And there are many that I didn’t expect so I enjoyed the twist and turns.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I enjoyed this story about Gods and their harbingers. Though there were some slow parts in the story, the narrators voice kept me engaged and I liked the twist and turns that show up at the end of the story. I look forward to seeing what happens next!

Read if you like:

Gods
twist and turns
young adult fantasy

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Red City by. Marie Lu | ALC Review | Audiobook – 4.5 stars/2 🌶️

Skyhunter | Book Review – 3.5 stars

Book Review | The Kingdom of Back – 4.5 stars

Firstborn by. M.J. Hastings | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Firstborn (#1)

Author: M.J. Hastings

Pages: 464

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Categories: Dystopian, Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Magic, Series

In this epic dystopian romantasy, one eldest daughter must fight for her survival in a world where birth order determines your fate—and defiance comes at a deadly cost.

The first children take up arms. The second children take up books. The third children are taken.

The Long Night is the final trial for Firstborn soldiers, and Bryn Ruelle must prove she can take a life—or face immediate exile. If she survives, she’ll graduate to defending the country’s borders against their magic-wielding neighbors. Bryn has never made a kill before tonight. By dawn, someone will be dead by her hands.

But when Bryn discovers a plot to kidnap the Lastborn, she must discern if the threat to her youngest sister is real, or merely a ruse to throw Bryn off her game. Her search for the truth forces her to work side-by-side with an alluring traitor-born enemy. As adrenaline and rage ignite a dangerous desire she refuses to name, Bryn must choose: her country, or her family? Her siblings, or herself?

Content Warning: death, violence, kidnapping, child abuse

+ Durst and Arcania are enemies and to help fight the war the Durst government put out a rule that mothers have to give brith to 3 children. First one enters the military, second one goes to study at university, and the third…well it’s a mystery what they do with them but Bryn is desperate to find out because her youngest sister is about to be taken away since she is the third born. I thought this world was very fascinating. Arcanist have magic, and Durst deems magic is evil (except when they use it to their own advantage). We mostly learn more about Durst because that’s where this story takes place.

+~ Bryn is the FMC and oh my is she stubborn to the point of unlikable. She frustrated me with how arrogant she was, always fighting people who try to help her and trying to dominate them and yet she can’t even kill someone in a trial. She’s supposedly the best and yet I didn’t see her real fighting skills until the end of the book. So she was not my favorite. She’s deep in her Dursti propanga and training even though she sees things that are wrong, feels that it’s wrong and yet her mind tries to convince her everyone else is wrong. There is growth, but it is slow and she has to see with her own eyes that she has been lied to all her life. But I did love the other characters like Ash and Poe – Poe is my favorite. Someone had to tell Bryn off at times and I’m glad it was Poe! Oberst, was a character we barely got to know. But Bryn’s siblings are interesting, Asa and Wren but would like to learn more about them. The program of having 3 children sacrificed to the government also left broken families because the kids are taken away and put into their perspective jobs so Bryn’s relationship with both is almost nonexistent and tense.

+~ Right away I liked Ash’s vibe but there is a love triangle in this story that wasn’t needed and also didn’t have real time to develop so I’m not sure how or why Bryn cared for the other guy, Oberst at all. It feels so forced and just wasn’t needed. Bryn has issues with figuring out what love is because she was never shown or given love, but this situation with her and Ash, grew because of forced proximity. And I just didn’t buy the feelings she supposedly has for Oberst ~ seems a bit toxic but we’ll see what happens in book two. Also it’s a slow burn but there is spice so I’m not sure why this is tagged as young adult on Goodreads.

+~ This was a story that was hard to put down but also I felt like the story was a little all over the place maybe because Bryn’s emotions are so volatile. There are a few POVs which I did like because some things are happening separate from what is happening to Bryn. But also a lot of changing POVs in the sense Bryn’s is told in first person, and then other characters in third person so I think it was jarring at times. There are a lot of moments of info-dumping also, which I think made the pacing for me a bit off. There is a lot going on here I found fascinating with the world building and the technology they were using but also the magic. So I was hooked on the story but there were just times I wish things were reigned in or tighter.

Final Thoughts:

I couldn’t put this book down because I liked the world building and premise, but I also had some issues with Bryn, the info dumping and the pacing. Bryn is a force, but she’s ignorant and arrogant, she’s broken and hiding a lot of pain, but she eventually sees the light at the end, I’m just amazed it took so much bad things to happen for her to open her eyes. I’ll definitely be reading book two, after all the twist and turns that happened at the end but I do hope book two shows us Bryn growing even more.

Read if you like:

dystopian romance
political intrigue – war
strong FMC
interesting world building

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

White Mountain by. Ruby Jean Cottle | ALC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: White Mountain (Black River, #2)

Author: Ruby Jean Cottle

Pages: 368

Format: audiobook

Listening Hours: 12 hrs 15 min (approx.)

Narrator (s): Geraldine Hakewill

Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Publication Date: 10/13/26

Categories: Young Adult, Mystery, Paranormal, Vampires, Romance, Series

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

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

In the second book in Ruby Jean Cottle’s dark and romantic Black River duology, a group of teens must face new supernatural threats while guarding the secrets that could tear them apart.

It’s been months since the Silver sisters’ life changed forever. Dusty should be focused on her new relationship, but how can she, when her visions of the future show her little sister in trouble? Something is waking beneath the mountain, and it’s getting harder to ignore.

When an old foe returns with an army of vampire fledglings and a dangerous new agenda, the Silver sisters and their friends are forced to confront him once again. And after a body turns up in the woods, an unrelenting detective begins digging into the town’s string of unsolved deaths, threatening to expose everything they’ve all hidden.

As new romances bloom and loyalties are tested, the group is forced to face impossible questions about themselves and their relationships.

Whatever is hiding in the mountain isn’t finished with them. And the worst may still be yet to come.

Content Warning: complicated sibling relationship, blood drinking

+ I thought the narrator did a pretty good job with bringing this story to life.

+ This is book two and the conclusion of the Black River Duology and I thought book one ended very abruptly. Things pick up right after the ending of book one. Opi (Ophelia), Dusty’s younger sister, is trying to deal with being a vampire. She and Dusty butt heads on a lot of things, but they work things out eventually. Dusty has a premonition that Opi is in danger so Eli, her best friend, takes on the job of keeping an eye on Opi.

+ My favorite part of this story had to be the romance storyline. Dusty is solid with Will, they are happy together. But I was really invested in Opi’s love life. She’s someone who is growing and learning to accept what she has changed into and I liked her growth and the romance that came with it.

~ As much as I love the young adult romance relationships in this story, I wanted a resolution about JD and the story moves a bit too slowly for me on that. Dusty and her friends are trying to keep on the down low but a detective is in town asking questions. To top it off Dusty has the premonitions about Opi and they are all trying to figure out what happened to JD. Nothing comes to light about JD until the very end. I feel like most of the story was about Dusty, Opi and Eli adjusting to being vampires and doing teenage things – like going to a party, formal and falling in love. I don’t mind those things but I did want the JD storyline to be stronger.

Final Thoughts:

I think I enjoyed this reading experience as an audiobook more than I enjoyed book one as an ebook, so I’m glad I got the alc for this book. I did think this was more romance focused, which I really enjoyed, but I did want to know more about JD and I feel like we didn’t get too much of that. Things again moved slowly in this story but I the romance kept me invested. There is an explanation about JD and the dead bodies at the end but I felt the explanation was rushed. Overall though I think this is a solid ending to the duology.

Read if you like:

young adult romance
vampires
small town mystery

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Black River by. Ruby Jean Cottle | ARC Review – 3 stars

The Museum of Modern Love by. Mariko Turk | ALC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Museum of Modern Love

Author: Mariko Turk

Pages: 304

Format: audiobook

Listening Hours: 7 hrs 35 min (approx.)

Narrator (s): Morgan Dalla Betta

Publisher: Macmillan Young Listeners

Publication Date: 10/13/26

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Audiobook, Romance, Art

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

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

Tonight, inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art—somewhere between the hours of 8 PM and 5 AM—Auden Peck will fall in love with Miki Kawamura.

That’s Miki’s plan, anyway. And the plan is destiny.

See, Miki’s grandparents fell in love after accidentally being locked in the Met overnight in 1965. And now, after too many almost-confessions, hopeless romantic Miki will finally tell her best friend Auden that she loves him by retracing the path through the museum that her grandparents took that fateful night.

But destiny has other plans. For it’s not Auden who joins Miki on her midnight tour, but Lou McSweeney—the world’s most jaded cynic, and Miki’s ex. How can she possibly confess her feelings for Auden when she’s stuck sparring with this arrogant jerk? And is it possible that her original plan was not destiny’s true course after all?

Content Warning: divorce, strained family relationships

+ Miki has a plan to tell her best friend Auden that she has been in love with him for awhile now. Her plan is to follow the story of how her grandparents fell in love in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She thinks this is a foolproof plan and once she confesses, he will also love her back. But plans go awry when she is task to take her ex-fling, Lou, on a tour of the museum.

+ The narrator for this book had a very clear voice and I think she did a fantastic job bringing the story to life.

+ I loved how Miki is a lover of art! I learned a few things and even made me remember the one time I went to the Met years ago. It’s such a beautiful museum and all of it is conveyed in this story. Miki not only is a lover of art, but also talks about her grandma’s experiences as a Japanese-American during World War II and being put in a camp. I love how Miki tied art and life experiences together.

+~ So when Lou, Miki’s ex comes into the story, I kind of already knew where this was going. And everything happens in a whole night spent at the Museum – which I can imagine is very magical, but she does go from being in love with Auden and ready to confess to him to falling for Lou by morning. I’m not mad about it, and I did like her and Lou together, I thought their interactions were funny but we really got no feel for Auden at all.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this audiobook was such a fun listening experience and I would totally watch this if it ever became a movie. It’s got appreciate for art, and NYC, a girl who is a romantic, a second chance romance, and it even touches on deeper topics like Japanese-American history and even some complicated family relationships. Overall, I thought this was a cute story and it’s a quick read also.

Read if you like:

young adult romance
art
second chance romance

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Scarlet Ball by. Nghi Vo | ALC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: The Scarlet Ball

Author: Nghi Vo

Pages: 336

Format: audiobook

Listening Hours: 11hours 21 min (approx.)

Narrator (s): Natalie Naudus

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Publication Date: 10/6/26

Categories: Gilded Age, Paranormal, Gothic, Dark Romance

From USA Today bestselling author Nghi Vo, this all-consuming tale of ballrooms and bloodshed weds The Gilded Age with the Gothic vision of Guillermo del Toro.

Pick a face, pick a fate.

Judith Ban, former convent girl, courtesan, and failed thief, is on the lookout for her next identity. The daughter of a Vietnamese adventuress and a French naval officer, she’s no stranger to risk, but she’s unprepared for the secrets of New York’s legendary Four Hundred, or for the women who build their power at the city’s heart through blood-soaked, gold-etched rituals of demonic marriage.

In exchange for enough wealth to outrun her past, Judith strikes a deal with the matriarch of the powerful Howard family: she will stand in for the missing Howard granddaughter, who was poised to make her debut when she disappeared. With Miss Iphigenia Marshall’s face stitched over her own, Judith is white, rich, and about to risk body and soul in the deadly games that determine which girls will find a match—and which will be devoured. If she can keep her wits and her life, her reward will be a husband with undreamt-of power who will be hers to command… so long as she can keep his infinite hungers fed. But to survive the season, Judith will have to seduce a storm in the shape of a man, before the night to which everything has been leading—the Scarlet Ball where the demons choose their brides.

A razor-sharp subversion of romance tropes and nightmare of manners, Vo’s fusion of history and fantasy does for Edith Wharton what her acclaimed debut The Chosen and the Beautiful did for F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Content Warning: death, violence, body horror, self harm, drug use

+ I am a fan of this narrator, since I’ve listen to her narrate a few books now. She did a great job with this one as always.

+ This is a dark story about Judith, who is half French and Vietmanese, trying to survive New York City during the Gilded Age. She takes a job to stand in for someone’s granddaughter, she wears her face – it is stitched on and entertain men, but these are not just men, under their skin they are demon lords. And demon lords need to be fed or else they will eat you. The atmosphere of the balls and wealth with the darkness of the men being entertained was really intriguing, especially when one man, Sebastian starts to single Judith out.

+ There are some very interesting characters in this story, like the Howard family who are powerful in society. Mrs. Howard is who takes Judith in, entices her with money, but also throws her out to the wolves, knowing what these men are. Sebastian is a man but a monster underneath, he is an actual “storm” come to life and he needs to eat or no matter how much he wants and loves Judith, she will be consumed – he was fascinating.

+ The romance is unconventional because Judith is not who she is pretending to be, she’s trying to survive this world of the powerful, wealthy and demon lords. Sebastian though, wants her and even with the strange circumstances between them an attractions builds. I thought the ending and what happens between them was very interesting!

+~ I did think the first half of the book was a slow build and maybe I would have connected more if I read it as an ebook so I could visualize everything better, but things definitely pick up in the second half which was my favorite part. That’s when horror comes into play and I found the body horror quite gruesome, but so fitting for the climax of the story. We watch Judith finally able to fight and be herself.

Final Thoughts:

This is the first book I’ve read from this author but I’ve seen her name around. I think the narrator was great, but I do think the first half of the story moved too slowly for me. I did like the setting of the Gilded Age, the balls, gowns, wealth, debutants and then the demon lords. It definitely touches on a woman’s lack of power in a wealthy society. The second half was great and there is action, a monster romance, and some horror too. Overall, I enjoyed and will hopefully read more from this author.