Hollow by. Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Hollow (Crown of Hearts and Chaos, #1)

Author: Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 560

Publication Date: 11/25/25

Categories: Fantasy, Romance

Don’t listen to the whispers of the woods.
Don’t trust the man cloaked in shadow.
Don’t earn the wrath of the scattered spirits.
Don’t go out after dark.

The Great Hunt begins once every fifty years and only the Champions willing to face death to shatter the curse dare to enter.

The Champions…and me.

I’m no warrior, no swordsmith, and certainly no Fae, but the forest is my only hope. To enter those trees is to walk willingly to my demise. But I need the boon the forest will grant the winner and I’m willing to risk it all for a chance at claiming it.

I just never expected to face him beneath those trees. The beast who strikes fear into the desperate people of all lands. The monster who commands the legion of Hollows and makes our plight a thousand times worse.

The Hollows are empty of all things but none are so heartless as him.

Prince Bane intends to be the death of me. But I have an oath to fulfil before I’ll let him have me. And I’ll do whatever it takes to achieve it.

I am Ferris Creed and I’m going to unite the lost spirits who once bound the wandering trees in place, return the scattered amulets to the core of its corruption, and use the winner’s boon to change my fate. Come wretchedness or torment, through trickery and deception, I will get what I came here for. And no one will stand in my way. Not even Prince Bane.

*** Hollow is a dark Romantasy from the bestselling authors of Zodiac Academy, Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. It is a heady cocktail of Summoners, seduction and spirits, set to get your heart racing and feet kicking. There will be a ruinous, black hearted love interest, a rebellious, ruthless FMC, plot twists, cliff hangers, dark humour and a healthy seasoning of make-you-blush spice. It is not for the faint of heart. All those who enter the forest are bound by its terms – will you walk willingly into the dark? ***

Content Warning: violence, grief

This is the first book I’ve actually finished from the Twisted Sisters (this author duo). I did try to read Zodiac Academy but I didn’t get past chapter one. But Hollow, I did actually finish.

The world in Hollow is filled with humans, Fae, and magical spirits in a deadly forest. Ferris decides to partake in the Great Hunt. The person who can collect all spirt amulets in the forest can ask a boon and she wants to help save her sister, Rissa, who was taken into the forest as a sacrifice. Ferris isn’t a warrior, which I thought was interesting. What she had going for her was pure determination and I admired her for that.

But spirits aren’t the only ones lurking in the woods – Hendrix is too. He is a disgraced Fae prince, who is a a mission of revenge. I thought his story was very interesting and tragic.

When Ferris and Hendrix/Bane meet, she basically becomes his prey. But he realizes he can use her as bait for the spirits they are hunting. Ferris hates the Fae and Hendrix looks down on humans so they didn’t get along at first but an attraction grows. It’s enemies to lovers and things get spicy between them! I did enjoy the bickering between them but I wanted to see more of an emotional connection and some banter but for some reason it fell flat for me.

As much as I enjoyed the scary adventures in the woods, and the quest of collecting these amulets, I did want a little more out of our main characters because they didn’t captivate me. I don’t know if it’s the writing, but I wasn’t connecting to them.

There is a lot of action at the end and some unexpected things happen.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I’m not sure if the writing style is for me or maybe I just didn’t feel like there was anything new about the story. I enjoyed the cursed forest, the spirit animals and the Great Hunt. I also enjoyed the bickering between Ferris and Hendrix and even the spice, but I don’t know if I’m interested in continuing the series. But this a binge-able romantasy with no heavy world building so it was an easy read.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A Curse of Shadows and Ice by. Catharina Maura | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: A Curse of Shadows and Ice

Author: Catharina Maura

Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 312

Publication Date: 10/28/25 (first published 3/15/22)

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Beauty and the Beast Retelling

From BookTok sensation and USA Today bestselling author Catharina Maura comes a spicy and enchanting Beauty and the Beast retelling featuring a cursed emperor, a princess who possesses forbidden magic, and a marriage that could save them all.

Princess Arabella of Althea is left no choice when Felix Osiris, the Shadow Emperor, threatens to overthrow her country unless she agrees to marry him.

When she learns his empire is cursed and she’s destined to set them free, they come to an help him minimize the curse’s effect on his people, and he’ll let her go.

As Felix teaches Arabella how to control her forbidden and volatile magic, her feelings for him turn from hatred to passion … and she realizes that she must break the curse, or she’ll lose him forever.

Content Warning: violence, dubious consent

I’ve been seeing this one on Kindle Unlimited, thought the cover was really pretty and finally had some time to read it. And here’s what I think:

+ This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling and it follows the story pretty well. It did make the story a little bit predictable but it made the story easy to read. It’s also a quick read at barely over 300 pages.

+~ I did like the world-building. Arabella is forced to marry Felix who is this mysterious Shadow Emperor with a dark reputation. Felix is cursed, his lands are cursed and they need Arabella to help them break the curse. This is light fantasy though, and I wanted a little more depth, but for people who like an easy fantasy read, you would enjoy this.

~ As for the romance, there is a lot of spice in this one and it starts fairly early…and with dubious consent. Arabella actually is in love with another at the beginning of the story so, the fact that she’s hot for Felix early was fast. But I just went with it. There are a few tropes that people will like: forced marriage, shadow daddy, and forced proximity. For some reason though I wasn’t invested in them as much as I wanted to be.

Final Thoughts:

I think this one was just okay and maybe not for me. It’s an easy read and I liked the Beauty and the Beast retelling aspects but I just wasn’t invested in the story.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Courting of Bristol Keats by. Mary E. Pearson | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️

Title: The Courting of Bristol Keats (The Courting of Bristol Keats, #1)

Author: Mary E. Pearson

Format: audiobook & hardcover (libby & owned)

Pages: 547

Publication Date: 11/12/24

Categories: Fantasy, Romance

From NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Mary E. Pearson comes a thrilling romantic fantasy full of dangerous fae, dark secrets, and addictive romance– the first book in a duology.

After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small, quiet town of Bowskeep. When Bristol begins to receive letters from an “aunt” she’s never heard of who promises she can help, she reluctantly agrees to meet—and discovers that everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie. Even her father might still be alive, not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures to a whole other realm—the one he is from.

Desperate to save her father and find the truth, Bristol journeys to a land of gods and fae and monsters. Pulled into a dangerous world of magic and intrigue, she makes a deadly bargain with the fae king, Tyghan. But what she doesn’t know is that he’s the one who drove her parents to live a life on the run. And he is just as determined as she is to find her father—dead or alive.

Content Warning: violence

I borrowed the audiobook for this earlier in the year but – I was not connecting to it. So when I saw it on sale on Book Outlet, I bought the hardcover but it sat on my shelf. Now with book two just out, I wanted to finally finish this book. I borrowed the audiobook again, hoping the second try would be better but at the 23rd chapter I switched to the hardcover and glad I did.

+ The world-building is interesting. It follows Bristol Keats, who has two sisters, and their parents are gone. She’s trying to make things meet in the town they live in but it’s challenging. Now this is a portal fantasy – because on the other side of this world, is the Fae world and we learn that they need Bristol to close a door. Elphame is the world of Faerie and it has all kinds of mystical creatures. While there Bristol learns that her father could be alive and asks Tyghan, for help to find him in exchange for her helping them close this door.

+ So while Bristol is in Elphame, she goes to school and trains with other girls. The girls become a found family for her which is nice since she was missing her sisters. There is a big cast of characters in this story which is what made it hard for me to follow on audiobook.

+~ I did enjoy the romance for the most part. Tyghan is drawn to Bristol even though he knows he shouldn’t get involved with her. But spending lots of time together makes their feelings grow and they give into their desires. Their relationship is a challenge though when Bristol finds out the truth about everything – Tyghan, her dad, her mom, and that she’s half fae. I did enjoy the romance drama. But there is one thing that I couldn’t get over, and that is Tyghan and her father were friends. I get that time goes slower in Elphame than in the mortal world, but STILL…I couldn’t get over that Bristol is basically together with her dad’s ex best-friend. And there were some things Tyghan said about her to him that made me not like Tyghan.

~ Bristol is trying to find her dad, but she doesn’t know the whole story about her parents, or Tyghan – she’s being kept in the dark. And because of that, when the secrets are revealed I was kind of irritated with Tyghan’s response and his court as well. It’s understandable that they don’t trust her, but none of them could understand why she would want to save her dad? I was irritated that Tyghan felt justified in lying to her.

~ I felt like too many things were going on in this story at times. I didn’t feel like it flowed well at times because there were so many characters and at times I forgot who’s perspective we were on. Pacing was off also, sometimes it was too slow, but it does pick up in the end. There were times where I felt like it was just thrown in, like Bristol going to classes and training. I wanted more of that, but this isn’t an academia story so I felt like it was just there for her to make friends. But I would have liked to see her learning something about magic and powers because she needs it to close this door. Also wanted more of scenes with her and her sisters. There were also some parts that was more telling than showing.

Final Thoughts:

I was expecting a lot because I loved Dance of Thieves and Vow of Thieves so much, and this fell flat for me. I did like some parts, and I’m curious to see how Bristol balances her love for Tyghan and her father. But there are a lot of things that didn’t work for me. Hopefully the sequel is better, but I’ll be going in with lower expectations.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

ARC Review | Vow of Thieves ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dance of Thieves by. Mary E. Pearson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles, #1) by. Mary E. Pearson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles, #2) by. Mary E. Pearson ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Beauty of Darkness (The Remnant Chronicles, #3) by. Mary E. Pearson ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blackthorn by. J.T. Geissinger | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Blackthorn

Author: J.T. Geissinger

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 11/4/25

Publisher: Bramble

Categories: Dark Romance, Mystery, Paranormal, Gothic Romance, Monster 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 Bramble for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

ou never forget your first love. Especially when he’s also your worst nightmare.

Twelve years ago, Maven Blackthorn fled her small hometown, leaving behind the wreckage of her mother’s suspicious death. But now, drawn back for her grandmother’s funeral, Maven steps onto Blackthorn soil once more, only to find herself thrust into a fresh nightmare: her grandmother’s body has vanished.

The Blackthorns immediately suspect the Crofts—the ruthless titans of Croft Pharmaceuticals, whose bitter blood feud with the Blackthorns has spanned generations. But when Maven comes face-to-face with Ronan Croft, the son of her mother’s suspected killer and the only man she ever loved, she discovers the forbidden passion they once shared is as alive—and dangerous—as ever.

As long-buried family secrets claw their way to the surface, betrayal lurks behind every whisper, and old vendettas ignite anew. The deeper Maven digs for answers, the more treacherous the game becomes. And the one man she can never seem to escape is hiding a truth that could burn their whole world down.

In a town where the dead won’t stay buried, is love salvation…or the deadliest game of all?

Blackthorn is a page-turning gothic romance with darker themes and scenes that may not be suitable for everyone. Please see the author’s content note at the beginning of the book.

Content Warning: violence, death, occult

+ I felt like this started good – it definitely gave dark, mysterious vibes. Maven is back home in Solstice with her two aunts, it was giving me Practical Magic vibes at first. The wealthy family in town are the Crofts and Ronan Crofts knows Maven is back and he wants her again.

+~ The back and forth romance between Ronan and Maven is tense, and at first purely sexual until we find out more about their past. Clearly he is obsessed with her and stalks her but she can’t stop her feelings for him either. It’s a forbidden romance, because Ronan’s father has told him to stay away from her – he doesn’t know why. And it’s spicy with even a monster spice scene. But there was something about the romance for a moment that made me feel uncomfortable even though it’s resolved later.

+~ There is a mystery going on in this story in that Maven is back in town for her grandmother’s funeral but her body goes missing at the funeral home. Maven sets out to do an investigation and finds out things about some of her mom (who’s passed) and about the Croft family. I don’t know why but I wasn’t immersed into the mystery as much as I was into the romance.

~ I felt like the ending was rushed and the reveals of the mystery was just dropped upon me from nowhere. I was surprised. Is there a part two? I felt like there was no build-up to that ending.

Final Thoughts:

I think this started off well, and I was invested in the romance, but I needed more of the mystery and especially needed more of a build-up to that ending. I was confused about the way it ended, it felt rushed.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Immortal Consequences by. I.V. Marie | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️

Title: Immortal Consequences (The Souls of Blackwood Academy, #2)

Author: I.V. Marie

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 512

Publication Date: 7/29/25

Categories: Dark Academia, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, LGBT+

Six students at Blackwood Academy, an enigmatic boarding school located at the edge of the afterlife, must compete for the once-in-eternity chance to change their fate—or risk remaining stuck in purgatory forever. An unputdownable debut full of hairpin twists, shock betrayals and world-defying love, for fans of The Atlas Six.

Welcome to Blackwood Academy: the legendary school located at the fringes of the afterlife, where students are fated to spend the rest of eternity shepherding lost souls. Once a pupil enters the school’s arched gates, there is no way out…except for the Decennial, a once-in-a-decade celebration that rewards nominees who pass its trials with a choice: formally graduate and join Blackwood’s magical elite, or venture into the unknown and cross over to the mysterious Other Side.

Wren Loughty is certain that this Decennial, she has what it takes to earn the nomination—unless, that is, her academic archrival Augustine Hughes steals her spot.

Irene Manette Bamford has never cared about playing by the rules. She’s willing to break whatever (and whoever) stands between her and getting the hell out of Blackwood, including her best and only friend, Masika Sallow.

Olivier Dupont gave up on securing the nomination ages ago. But after he meets Blackwood’s newest student, Emilio Córdova, he’ll do anything to keep Emilio from leaving him and crossing over to the Other Side—even if it means claiming the victory for himself.

All of them are determined to be Blackwood’s chosen candidate–and all of them would do anything to win. But none of them are prepared for what’s to come. Because this Decennial will be different. This time, the Decennial isn’t a celebration…it’s a competition. And there can only be one victor.

Six nominees. Four trials. Untold danger. Wren, August, Irene, Masika, Olivier and Emilio are about to learn: there are some fates worse than death.

Content Warning: violence, grief, death, trauma

+ I thought the world-building was very interesting. It’s an academy in the afterlife! So all these characters are deceased, which I thought was unique.

+ There are 6 POVs and the chapters for each are short, which moved the story quickly. These students are all competing in a Decennial trial where the rules have changed. So there is a lot of action in the middle of the book which was nice, and we see these character who aren’t friends in the beginning start to form some bonds with one another.

+~ There is romance! One is a rivals to lovers romance between Wren and August – I thought I would be into this one but I didn’t feel like I connected to either of them, not sure why. There is a closed door scene between them. Then there is Emilio and Olivier and I thought their romance was sweet. But it is young adult so there is teen drama, and angst.

~ Although I enjoyed the short chapters and the action helped moved the story, I think there were too many things going on because there are so many POVs to follow. And not only those POVs, there were other kids in the trial, not main characters, but sometimes a name was mentioned and I would be like…wait who is that? Some characters got on my nerves like Irene and Wren.

~ As unique as I thought the setting and the world-building was, I had questions – like how did these students get their unique set of powers in the afterlife? I also thought it was kind of crazy that these dead people could still die (even more? lol).

Final Thoughts:

I thought this story had interesting world-building but would love to know more about it. I don’t feel like I had a good grasp of some of it. There are a few characters to follow but the chapters are short and the story moves quickly. I think because there is a lot going on I couldn’t connect to the characters fully. But I did like the action that came during the trials. It’s a maybe for me on if I’ll end up continuing this series, definitely will be dependent on my mood.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A Scar in the Bone by. Sophie Jordan | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: A Scar in the Bone (A Fire in the Sky, #2)

Author: Sophie Jordan

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 10/14/25

Publisher: Avon

Categories: Romantasy, Dragon Shifters, Series, 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 Avon for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

MAGIC AWAKENS.

DARKNESS SWELLS.

AND A HERO RISES.

It’s been a year since Tamsyn transformed from the enemy in Fell’s bed to the wife he sacrificed himself to save. From an ordinary girl to Penterra’s best hope to keep magic from disappearing forever.

With Fell torn from her side in the dangerous swirling mists of the Crags, Tamsyn is alone among the dragon pride. An outsider learning to survive in her new home, she trains until her muscles burn and her blood spills. And slowly, a warrior emerges.

But is Fell truly beyond Tamsyn’s reach? Their bond pulls at her, as does the fierce drive to protect both humans and dragonkind from a relentless enemy determined to destroy her – and all magic.

Magic stirs in the darkness, strengthening all who believe in it. But will it be enough to save the pride, the kingdom, and a love fated to endure for centuries?

Content Warning: violence, whipping, buried alive

This is the sequel to A Fire in the Sky which I rated 3 stars. And I was very curious after the cliffhanger in book one to see what would happen in book two and things got interesting.

One year has passed and Tamsyn is dealing with the lost of Fell. Vetr, Fell’s twin brother, has taken her into their dragon pride and is teaching her how to fight but she is lost in grief. She feels the bond with Fell still and cannot let go. She finds out that Stig (once her good friend but has turned evil) is now married to her younger sister and is Lord of the Borderlands, now that Fell is gone.

Vetr is not trustworthy and even when his desire for Tamsyn is made known, he kind of gave me the ick especially during an event where he made her go into alone to test her. I did not like him and really balked at how maybe she started to feel something for him. But I did like that we get to learn how Vetr runs things in his pride and how things worked among his dragons.

Tamsyn does grow a lot in this book but I was getting frustrated with her for the first half of this book. She’s stuck between thinking she can be both human and dragon but to be human she has to hide her dragon side. To be a dragon she has to forget her human family.

Once more the last 25% of this book was full of action, some twists and turns and then there was an abrupt ending. There is also the addition of a new character. There is an epilogue but I felt unsatisfied.

Final Thoughts:

I read this in one sitting because it’s a fairly easy romantasy to read that isn’t bogged down with detailed world-building. Also there are a few twists and turns that kept me invested. The animosity between humans and dragons is strong, but now the author has thrown in a third enemy – witches. The ending is too abrupt and leaves me wanting to know more and I feel like the epilogue is hinting that there will be a book three. I liked that Tamsyn has lots of growth and I did like the romance storyline (not with Vetr though) and will probably be reading the next book.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From this Author:

A Fire in the Sky by. Sophie Jordan | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Crimson Throne by. Sara Raasch and Beth Revis | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating:

Title: The Crimson Throne (#1)

Author: Sara Raasch and Beth Revis

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 10/7/25

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Categories: Young Adult, Historical 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 Sourcebooks Fire for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Samson Calthorpe’s father is a court favorite—but that alone won’t take him far without money and so many people depending on him. So when the opportunity arises to become a royal spy, he has to take it, using every bit of the skills and resolve he’s picked up on the streets of London to prove his worth in Queen Elizabeth’s court.

Alyth Graham has kept her eyes on Queen Mary’s husband, Lord Darnley, for years—her eyes and her magic. She may be a member of the Scottish court, but she’s no lady. A bastard child of a fae prince and a human mother, Alyth is among the most powerful protectors in guardians sworn to support the barrier keeping the Red Caps, a bloodthirtsy clan of fairies, away from the Fae Land portals.

As Alyth and Samson circle each other in the volatile and glamorous Scottish court, both seek to uncover threats to their own countries. They have only one unifying their shared hatred and suspicion of Lord Darnley. Using secret codes, hidden messages, and a little bit of magic, Alyth and Samson unravel a plot centuries in the making. Lord Darnley is only a pawn, and in this game, the queen takes all.

Content Warning: violence

+ I wasn’t sure how to feel about this story and thought I would need to really in the mood to enjoy it but I thought the story was really intriguing. Alyth, is Fae, and she is the protector of Mary Queen of Scots. That’s a fresh take on the war between Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth! I thought it was really interesting how Lord Darnley who is Mary’s husband is the prime suspect of who might harm her but they had no real way of stopping him. There is a lot of royal politics and I also loved all the Fae creatures.

+ Samson is a thief and sent to Scotland to find a magical item for his father but he learns that’s not the extent to the plans his dad has for him there. He meets Alyth and they fall for one another. At first Alyth is suspicious of him, but it’s an enemies to lovers romance and I thought it was fun seeing them fall for one another. As the story unravels, Alyth has to make a choice about Samson.

+ Alyth was an interesting character because she has insecurity issues – her father thinks doesn’t think much of her because she’s half human, but that doesn’t stop her from using all her abilities, like seeing auras around people to help her keep Mary protected.

~ It wasn’t strong on the enemies to lovers or the romantasy. I think they fell for each other pretty quick.

Final Thoughts:

This was a refreshing take on the war between Mary Queen of Scots and Queen EIizabeth of England. It included the Fae, magic and mythical creatures. It also had a little romance and strong character in Alyth. I thought this was a fun read and will appeal to those who like historical fiction!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From this Author:

Night of the Witch by. Sara Raasch and Beth Revis | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Fate of Magic By. Sara Raasch and Beth Revis | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yours For the Season by. Emily Stone | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️

Title: Yours For the Season

Author: Emily Stone

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 10/7/25

Publisher: Dell

Categories: Holiday Romance, Contemporary, 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 Dell for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Could a fake relationship with your ex over Christmas in Scotland be the perfect opportunity for revenge—or a second chance at love? One woman is about to find out in this charming holiday romance from the author of Always, in December and A Winter Wish.

Melanie has not had a good year. Things are definitely not going as planned in her work life, her best friend has moved to the other side of the world, and her favorite bagel shop is closing down. But the real reason this year has been awful is because Finn, the man who she was sure was the love of her life, dumped her. In front of everyone. At his sister’s engagement party.

So when Finn shows up at her doorstep two weeks before Christmas asking if she’ll help him, her first instinct is to slam the door in his face—or punch him. But he has a proposal for her.

Finn wants Melanie to spend the week of Christmas with him. He has to face the holiday at a vacation cottage in the Scottish Highlands with his two perfect siblings who are happily paired off with their perfect partners. His mother is obsessed with the idea of a perfect Christmas—and to try and help, Finn may have told his mother he and Mel are dating again. All she has to do is come with him and pretend they’re back together.

Melanie may hate Finn, but she loves his mom. And with her own parents on a trip, it looks like the only way to spend the holiday with someone she cares about is to suffer through being around the person she despises most.

So Melanie agrees—on one condition. At the end of the week, Finn will allow Mel to publicly dump him—in front of his family—so she can get her dignity back and he can experience the same humiliation she felt.

As they embark on seven days with Finn’s family, Mel tells herself it’s only a week. She just has to pretend to still be in love with him. Until she starts to lose track of which feelings are fake, and which are for real…

Content Warning: illness

+ A holiday romance set in the Scotland Highlands? Sounds like amazing Christmas season vibes. And this story has it in abundance.

+ Mel and Finn have been broken up for 6 months but he shows up out of the blue asking her if she could pretend to fake date him and attend his family’s Christmas trip with him. She agrees if she can enact a revenge breakup on him in front of his family. The story is told with flashbacks to when Mel and Finn were together and leading up to their first breakup.

+ The romance is a second chance romance and I think it’s obvious that being in forced proximity with one another would revive old memories and feelings. They get to work out the challenges that came between them the first time: Finn thinking he will be like his dad, and Mel trying to please everyone and not knowing if she can come through for everyone.

+ I enjoyed the family vibes along with the Christmas ones.

~ The beginning felt a little slow, maybe because of the flashbacks but it eventually picks up in the second half.

Final Thoughts:

If you like second chance romance and a Christmas story set in Scotland, you will enjoy this one.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

A Winter Wish by. Emily Stone | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thief of Night by. Holly Black | ALC Review | Audiobook

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Thief of Night (The Charlatan Duology, #2)

Author: Holly Black

Narrator(s): Jonathan Davis, Sara Amini, Vikas Adam

Format: audiobook (NetGalley)

Pages: 288

Publication Date: 9/23/25

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Categories: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Mystery

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

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

The highly anticipated sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black’s stunning adult debut, Book of Night . This program features multicast narration.

“Award-winning YA author Holly Black has created an imaginary masterpiece yet again with her first foray into adult fantasy, narrated with perfection by Sara Amini.”— AudioFile on Book of Night (an Earphones Award winner)

“Sara Amini’s narration is exceptional, providing unique voices for the broad range of characters.”— Library Journal on Book of Night

There’d always been something wrong with Charlie Hall. Crooked from the day she was born. Never met a bad decision she wasn’t willing to double down on. She may be good enough to steal a shadow from a tower, but will she be good enough to steal back a heart?

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

Content Warning: violence

+ The narrators for this story really kept me invested in the story even when the story itself moved slow – they did an amazing drop bringing the characters to life. I feel like the narrator for Charlie really did a great job and it’s how I imagine Charlie’s voice to be.

+ Charlie is such an interesting character. She’s a con-artist, and is always lying but she’s good at what she does. She’s the hierophant and trying to find out who is leaving these dead bodies. While trying to investigate she has to deal with other things like her sister and Red/Vincent.

+ Charlie and Red/Vincent’s relationship is so complicated because of what happened to him in book one. There is very little heat, but they did have some moments. I like that Charlie had to finally realize he was different. The romance was not the focus of the story though.

~ I feel like I should have re-read Book of Night so I remembered what happened. I got confused because I didn’t remember the whole thing about shadows.

~ It took me until 50% into this story to really get into it. I do feel like the first part was slower than the second half. And it’s a mystery but I honestly couldn’t follow what exactly Charlie was trying to do because I had a hard time paying attention, I was bored in the first half.

~ I think I enjoyed book one better than this one.

Final Thoughts:

I thought the narrators did a great job but it took me until 50% into the book to get invested in the story. The first half moved to slow for me and I was trying to remember things from book one. And I do recommend re-reading book one, Book of Night, if you are going to read Thief of Night. Maybe I would have enjoyed this one better if I had remember all the details from book one. Overall, I think mystery lovers would enjoy this one!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

The Prisoner’s Throne by. Holly Black | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Stolen Heir by. Holly Black | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book of Night by. Holly Black | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by. Holly Black | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Cruel Prince by. Holly Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Wicked King by. Holly Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Queen of Nothing by. Holly Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Lost Sister’s by. Holly Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tithe by. Holly Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Darkest Part of the Forest by. Holly Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Game On by. Ki Stephens | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Game On

Author: Ki Stephens

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 9/8/25

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Categories: Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Sports 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 St. Martin’s Griffin for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ella Davies didn’t trade her life in England for a year in Nashville to let anything—or anyone—throw her off her game. She only has one to prove herself on her new school’s elite cheer squad.

What she hadn’t planned for was meeting a gorgeous stranger on her first evening in America.

Hudson Fox is Whitland’s prized possession, a star quarterback who’s never lacked admirers. But this year, he’s sworn off temptation—especially the new English cheerleader who’s proving impossible to ignore.

When Ella and Hudson are forced to spend more time together, their “just one night” pact soon shatters.

Until tumbling from the pyramid becomes the least of Ella’s worries. Because instead of hitting the mat, she’s falling hard for the quarterback. . .

Content Warning:

+ Ella is a cheerleader from England who goes to Whitland in Nashville, Tennessee. Along with the culture shock, which hasn’t really fazed her, he boyfriend of a few years dumped her and then she has a one-night stand with the star quarterback at Whitland. I thought Ella was a cool character, typical college girl going through the growing pains of relationships and school.

+~ The romance is a one-night stand to friends to lovers. There is a lot of back and forth between Ella and Hudson, which was not my favorite of the romance. I do think their relationship is relatable because it’s set in college and young love can start and end so fast. There is spice but because these two kept things mostly casual throughout the book I didn’t quite connect to their romance.

+ I enjoyed the cheer parts of the book and it gave me flashbacks to Netflix’s show Cheer (where the star cheerleader was a girl named Gabi haha – there is a Gabi in this book also, coincidentally). I thought Ash was an intriguing character.

~ The conflict that comes at the end of the book was minor and it didn’t feel like the big deal, Ella made it out to be. It was resolved with communication.

Final Thoughts:

This was a light, sports romance and a very quick read. I don’t feel like I connected much to the characters, because of the back and forth and miscommunication but I did enjoy all the cheer aspects to the story – I thought that was interesting and fun! Overall, this was not for me but if you like sports romance, you might enjoy this one.