The Dating Prohibition by. Taj McCoy | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: The Dating Prohibition

Author: Taj McCoy

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 315

Publication Date: 9/2/25

Publisher: MIRA

Categories: Contemporary, Romance, Rom-Com

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

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

In this spicy new rom-com, an ambitious entrepreneur working to get her speakeasy supper club off the ground is pushed off balance when her childhood crush turns up, hotter than ever––then tells her she’s off-limits.

Now that Kendra’s returned home, she can’t help feeling like a kid again—back in her big brother’s shadow, trying to get her restaurant off the ground while his new venture is flying high right out the gate. It doesn’t help that everyone refuses to stop calling her Keke, the childhood nickname she loathes.

The only bright spot is her longtime crush BJ. He’s been her big brother’s best friend for most of her life, and he’s always been that cool, chill guy who was easy to talk to and made her laugh. Now he’s looking at her like she’s all grown up, and there’s nothing childish about the chemistry brewing between them. Even better, he takes her dreams seriously, and he’s ready to help her make her supper club a reality.

But then BJ extinguishes the sparks flying between them, insisting nothing romantic can ever happen because she’s “off limits.” As her investors fall through and her best chance at fulfilling her professional dreams points toward leaving home again for a fresh start, will BJ be ready for love before Kendra moves on? Or will he sweep her off her feet when she least expects it?

Content Warning: misogyny

+ There are a lot of things I enjoyed about this rom-com. One of them being the strong theme of family. Kendra is back home in Washington, D.C. and staying with her older brother and his wife while she gets her feet back under her. She’s helping at his new restaurant but she has dreams of opening a speakeasy of her own. I love how her cousin is almost like a sister – I totally relate to that! I love that her family is tight-knit and though at times critical, there is always support somewhere in the family. When she is with her cousin, Lani and her sister-in-law, Shonda, they are so funny together – I loved their family friendship.

+ I love the different ethnicities being represented. Kendra is half Black on her mom’s side and Filipino and Thai on her dad’s side which was cool! I loved hearing about filipino food dishes in the book.

+ The romance is a brother’s best-friend kind of romance, and there are a few spicy scenes. There are some challenges between Kendra and BJ/Ben though but it is resolved in the end.

~ Now as much as I love her tight-knit family, there was definitely favoritism. She got criticism which is again totally relatable but I felt bad for Kendra. She was putting in the work and had all her plans laid out. Her brother was supportive but also a little bit overprotective. Kind of wished there a moment with her parents at the end where they work things out.

~ Speaking of overprotective – BJ is her brother’s best friend so yes her brother would have thoughts about that. But the way BJ kind of strung her along, saying no they can’t act on their desire and then acted on it, then pushed her away? I did not like that and started not to like him. Also, he had no personality – he was definitely there for a booty call, but he didn’t open up to Kendra at all.

Final Thoughts:

There were a lot of things I liked about this story – the family themes, the food, the girlfriend group, and Kendra trying to make her dreams come true. I didn’t love the romance, even though the spice was good. I just didn’t like how BJ was going back and forth – keeping her at a distance, then pulling her in, then pushing away again. So I didn’t love the romance but I think everything else, at least for me, made up for it, plus it was a quick read.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read by This Author:

Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell by. Taj McCoy | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Dream by the Shadows by. Logan Karlie | ARC Review | Audiobook

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating:

Title: Dream by the Shadows (The Shadow Weavers Duology, #1)

Author: Logan Karlie

Narrator(s):
Jared Zeus (Narrator), Mia Hutchinson-Shaw (Narrator)

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 8/26/25

Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Gothic, 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 Christy Ottaviano Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

No one told me that damnation could be beautiful.

For the last 500 years, the Kingdom of Noctis has been plagued by Corruption, a curse that spreads through dreams. Only an elixir, taken each night before sleep, can ward off the curse. But for some, the allure of the Dream Realm proves too strong.

Esmer Havenfall desperately wants to escape her curse-struck village. But as her family starts to succumb to Corruption, Esmer’s life swiftly unravels into a nightmare – especially when she
begins to dream herself.

In Esmer’s dreams, she meets her greatest fear, the Shadow Bringer, who rules from his castle in the Dream Realm, stealing souls one dreamer at a time. As Esmer follows the Shadow Bringer deeper into his kingdom she starts to feel a strange kinship to his sinister magic. But the prince of darkness has a haunted past, one that might change the fate of Esmer’s kingdom – and her
heart – forever.

Lush and vividly imagined, Logan Karlie creates an immersive nightmare in this seductive gothic fantasy, infused with shadow-haunted romance and an exhilarating thread of horror.

Content Warning: violence

+ I thought the premise for this story was very interesting – drinking an elixir to keep dreams away, because dreams were bad? I wanted to learn more and I found this world-building very dark and gothic. I also caught the Labyrinth vibes (one of my favorite childhood movies), so I liked that!

+ The narrators did a great job with bringing the main characters to life. All the demon voices were different and well done also.

+ There is a strong theme of family in this story because Esmer loses most of her family she is protective of her youngest brother.

+~ The romance is enemies to lovers and a slow burn but it’s not the main focus of the story. I didn’t feel invested in their romance though, but it might be because I wasn’t connecting to the characters.

~ I don’t know if it’s because it’s an audiobook and that’s already a challenge in holding my attention but the middle of this book was a bit slow. There’s always a demon in every corner asking to be let free and that stood out but it also became repetitive, at least in my listening experience.

~ Would like more world-building.

Final Thoughts:

This one wasn’t for me although I thought the narrators did such a great job with trying to bring this book to life. I liked the dark, gothic fantasy vibes but I had a hard time connecting to the characters.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Robin on the Oak Throne by. K.A. Linde | Audiobook Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: The Robin on the Oak Throne (The Oak and the Holly Cycle, #2)

Author: K.A. Linde

Narrator: Stephanie Németh-Parker

Format: audiobook (Libby)

Pages: 480 / Audio Reading Time (approx.): 19h

Publication Date: 6/16/25

Categories: Romantasy, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Series

The only thing worse than fearing a monster is falling for one …

Kierse McKenna just shattered the Monster Treaty. Again.

It wasn’t entirely her fault. The job was supposed to be steal a goblin-made bracelet off of the Queen of the Nymphs in her own palace. Trade the bracelet for a way to uncover the truth about her past. Except everything goes sideways.

And then he shows up to save her.

Graves—the warlock who ensnared her, betrayed her, and left her to fend for herself. He’s a villain. A monster draped in charm and shadows. And gods help her, he always knows exactly what she wants.

But Graves never does anything for free. He has a job for his favorite little thief. One that will pit her against the most powerful monsters in existence, including his mortal enemy, the Oak King.

An ancient artifact has been located, and only together can they hope to steal it. She just has to let him in.

But once she lets a monster in, he’s impossible to forget … and even harder to resist.

Content Warning: violence

+ There is one narrator for this audiobook and she really did a great job doing all the voices – and this is a big cast, so credit to her! I gave the first book The Wren in the Holly, 3 stars. I didn’t love it but I wanted to see if hearing the second book as an audiobook would make me enjoy this series more. I did like listening to it as an audiobook and I enjoy the world building of this urban fantasy world.

+ Kierse is a fun character – I like her personality. With everything going on, I feel like she stayed constantly upbeat. Graves was his usual dangerous self and the two of them have a few spicy scenes together. They have trust issues between them because of what happened in book one but they can’t deny their physical attraction to one another and they act on it a few times.

~ Kierse is trying to find a magical object, but she’s also trying to remember things from her past that have been repressed and for the first half of the story this is what is happening – but it was a slog to get through. The beginning is fine, but the middle was boring. It does pick up again in last 25% of the book, but I just wish things were happening. I felt like they kept coming to dead ends.

~ Not sure where this story is headed but I think I might stop the reading the series.

Final Thoughts:

This series isn’t for me. I thought listening to is as an audiobook would help me enjoy it more and I did enjoy it more than book one and even thought it would be a higher rating, but the middle was slow and boring. If you liked book one, you will definitely like this one but for me, I won’t continue the series.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read By This Author:

The Wren in the Holly Library by. K.A. Linde | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Witch You Would by. Lia Amador | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Witch You Would

Author: Lia Amador

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 9/2/25

Publisher: Avon

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Witches, Rom-Com

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!

When a young witch gets a life-changing chance to compete in a magical reality show, sparks fly as she’s partnered with a man she can’t stand.

In a Miami where enchantment is just another college major, the magic of television could change two lives.

Penelope Delmar, a broke salesgirl, has been chosen to compete on Cast Judgment, a spellcasting reality show. The winner gets a big cash prize, and for extra hype, this season is the Spellebrity every contestant will be paired with a celebrity teammate. Unfortunately, her partner, Leandro Presto, is best known for his goofy viral spell videos, not his skills.

Gil Contreras, alias Leandro Presto, has been crushing on his pen pal Penelope for months. Now they’re working together to win a contest that could save his grandfather’s charity—except he has to stay in character the whole time, so his dream girl thinks he’s a total loser.

Can they beat snobby rivals, fix spells gone wrong, and survive increasingly dangerous sabotage attempts to win the grand prize—and each other’s hearts? Or will Gil’s secret make both their magic and romance fizzle out?

Content Warning:

This contemporary rom-com is a world where witches exist and thrive among us. Penelope is a spell-caster and she needs money quick because she got fired. She gets casted on a t.v. show Cast Judgment and is paired up with a social media star known for crazy videos named Leandro Presto.

At first when meeting these characters, especially Leandro/Gil, this story felt like a young adult story because he acts wild, and immature for his audience. Actually he’s 28 years old but I couldn’t tell from the first part of this story.

I think I started to look at them as older when the flirting started. There are a lot of puns being used in the story which was funny, if you are into that. There is also a fake-dating, or fake-flirting storyline between them because the studio wants it but I feel like that helped their romance take off. I was okay about their chemistry – I just couldn’t take Leandro/Gil seriously sometimes but hey they seemed to have fun with one another! A tiny bit of miscommunication almost comes between them but it is quickly resolved. I’d say it’s a cozy kind of romance with some spice.

The ending was a little abrupt and hinted at another book coming about Penelope’s sister, so I think this is a series.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I think this was a cute romance. It’s a quick read and a book that would be perfect for in the fall because of the witches and spells.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Give Me a Reason by. Jayci Lee | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Give Me a Reason

Author: Jayci Lee

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 7/29/25

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Retelling

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

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

A Korean drama actress gets her second chance at love with the man she left in order to save her family–if she can work up the courage to risk her heart on forever…one last time.

For ten years, Anne Lee told herself that Frederick Nam was her past. In order to save her father from bankruptcy, she left Frederick for an acting career in Korea. This was the only way she could stop him from following her and ruining his future. It was the best way she could love him.

After Anne left, Frederick spent years loving her, missing her, and hating her until he decided to live his life for himself. He followed his dream and became a firefighter in Culver City. He didn’t need romance. He had his work and his friends.

When Anne returns to Los Angeles, she and Frederick are thrown together in the same wedding—she as her cousin’s bridesmaid and he as his friend’s groomsman. Even though he is angry and distant with her, Anne can no longer deny that she never got over him. Not even close.

With so much hurt and uncertainty between them, Anne and Frederick suffer their love in silence. But all it would take is a single leap of faith to bring them together…

Content Warning: death on a job

+ I didn’t know this was a Jane Austen Persuasion retelling until after I’ve read it so that was my fault but after I found out – it made lots of sense! And I love Persuasion so after reading this I can appreciate it a bit better. If you know Persuasion, there is a lot that both characters don’t get to express until way later, so there is miscommunication and in Give Me a Reason, it was that miscommunication that kind of gave me issues but now that I know it’s a retelling, I can see why it’s there.

+ Anne is a K-drama actress, who is back from South Korea, and planning to try out Hollywood and be near her family in California. She runs into her ex-boyfriend Frederick, the boy she’s always loved, but was encouraged to leave behind because of her aunt. But now that she’s back she realized all of the feelings she had for him never went away. Anne comes off very graceful, nice and polished.

+ Frederick has always been in love with Anne even though she broke his heart, left him, and was left to pick up the pieces. And once he sees her again and is forced to be around her because of his friend’s wedding that he is a part of, he is struggling to leave his feelings for her in the past. But he doesn’t want his heart broken again. He’s a hot captain for the fire department so I thought that was fun.

+ This story is basically about the yearning and longing between them. We are in their thoughts a lot and the moments they are in are super-charged because of all their feelings from the past coming to surface. The spice was just enough because this story really is about love.

~ Before knowing this was a Persuasion retelling, I didn’t like that his friends were trying to set Frederick up with Anne’s cousin. She is really close to her family, so I just didn’t like that she had to see them push her cousin and her ex-boyfriend together. Thing is no one knew they had a past except for her aunt and Frederick’s best friends. So I could see why they were trying to make a match with him and Bethanny (Anne’s cousin).

~ I did wish they confronted one another about the past much earlier so that maybe more of the book could have been them learning about who they are now, because 10 years have passed.

Final Thoughts:

I love this book cover and I love a Jane Austen retelling. I can say that really followed Persuasion pretty good and really captured the longing and yearning that was in that story. Frederick, I think really was the character who was coming undone by Anne’s presence and I felt for him. I’m just glad they worked it out in the end but I did find myself impatient with Anne’s reluctance to just tell him what happened until near the end.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

That Prince is Mine by. Jayci Lee | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

BLOG TOUR | Secret Crush Seduction by. Jayci Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BLOG TOUR} Temporary Wife Temptation by. Jayci Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Dating Dare | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️💫

ARC Review | A Sweet Mess ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Metal Slinger by. Rachel Schneider | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Metal Slinger (Fire & Metal, #1)

Author: Rachel Schneider

Format: borrowed (KU)

Pages: 497

Publication Date: 5/12/24

Categories: Romantasy, Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers

Brynn has spent the better part of her life waiting for the chance to attend the annual market hosted by the Kenta, the very same people who exiled the Alaha to live a life over the sea. A rite of passage for all young guards, she’s not sure what to expect from it, but breaking a century- long peace treaty certainly isn’t on her map.

Neither is the encounter with an enemy soldier.

Returning home to Alaha, she’s confronted with the aftermath of the day’s events. The future is uncertain as the threat of hunger looms over the people. With rumors of a growing rebellion, Brynn and her closest friends promise to stick together.

When an unexpected visitor arrives, Brynn’s loyalty will be tested as she learns of a world of magic and treachery. Once her enemy, always her enemy, right? But the dark, knowing eyes of a stranger make her question everything…

…including her heart.

Content Warning: violence

I’ve been seeing this book on booktok but saw it Kindle Unlimited before – I heard that a traditional publisher was picking this book up so I downloaded to see what the hype was about.

+ The beginning was good and I was definitely hooked. I was intrigued by these group of people who have been exiled from land. In Alaha, their home is an island without land. So I thought that was really interesting! Brynn is training to be a guard and is almost finished. To top it off, her best friend, Kai, who is also the son of the leader of their people, wants to marry her. All should be good until something happens that puts their people in danger of starvation.

+ The magic system is interesting. People have elemental magic. But you need land to activate and use magic.

+ Brynn seems like a strong and beautiful female. She’s good with a sword and as the story moves on we find out things about her past like she has magic and that her family is still alive. Without spoiling the story because there is a plot twist that changes what I think about Brynn/Jovi, let’s just say she is unexpected.

+ Brynn has crushed on Kai since they were young so that’s a friends to lovers match there. But then she meets Acker. He is the typical dark haired, hot, mysterious, guy who embodies danger and all that (he’s good at killing)…and he has metal magic. He also fills the gaps of her missing memories about her childhood because he knew her as Jovi. They get to know one another and there is desire between them. I thought they fell too fast for one another but I blamed it on the bond they have. There are some spicy scenes between them.

~ There is a lull in the middle of this book. For awhile, Brynn/Jovi and Acker is floating in the middle of the ocean trying to find land. They get to know each other but not much is happening. Even when they get to land, I don’t feel like the world-building was strong. There are kingdoms with a fragile peace treaty and Acker and Jovi being on these lands trying to get to Kenta (Acker’s kingdom), threatens the peace. But I wanted to know more about these kingdoms.

~ I liked Acker and Jovi’s growing relationship but I did feel something was missing because it was moving so fast. Did she really just dismiss her feelings for Kai so suddenly? Acker fell fast and hard for her too. I wanted build-up, but because they are Matched and have a bond, so it’s undeniable? I wanted more of an emotional connection but I wasn’t feeling it.

~ The plot twist. This is what all the hype is about with this book…so let’s talk about it. It comes with a sudden flashback at the end of the book during a build to a climactic moment but though I felt stunned, it felt kinda off, and I was confused. The way it’s executed means a lot of things happens off page, and we, the reader don’t get that information. It also paints Jovi in a very different light than how I saw her throughout the book – which is the goal, I guess? But it leaves me with SO many questions that won’t be answered until the next book or not? We shall see, maybe now I don’t trust the author since she didn’t trust me?😅 Throughout this whole book there is no show of motivation for her to do what she did at the end – it’s a whole secret until then, she’s lying the whole time. And fine, I don’t mind being lied to for shock value, but make it make sense. I like a good unreliable narrator but Brynn/Jovi is not that, doesn’t even give us a hint that she’s unreliable. The were just a few indications that did give me pause in the book and maybe foreshadowed this was going to happen – I questioned how fast she fell for Acker but chalked it up to insta-love and also, wondered why with her at the border of her kingdom, she wouldn’t go right away and see the mom she hasn’t seen in forever.

Final Thoughts:

If you are a high-fantasy reader, go into this one with low expectations. If you love romantasy and all the usual tropes, you will enjoy this one. You kind of have to go with the flow with this one and not think too hard on connecting dots. I was half and half on this one. I knew it was a romantasy with a lot of hype – so I wanted to see what the hype and plot twist was about. The plot twist had potential but I did not like how it was executed. I did like the beginning when the story is set with the characters, and the world of Alaha, but then there is a lull in the middle as our main characters are floating on the sea trying to find land. Pacing wise, this felt choppy. I had to re-read some parts a few times in the book because I felt like I missed something.

Will I read book two? Yes, I think I will read it because I want to see what happens to Brynn/Jovi and Acker after that wild ending. There is a snippet at the end of the ebook for book two, and it looks like it takes place after a few years have passed, so I think that’s interesting. But when I read book two I will go in with trust issues. 😅

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Mayra by. Nicky Gonzalez | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Mayra

Author: Nicky Gonzalez

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 240

Publication Date: 7/22/25

Publisher: Random House

Categories: Suspense, Mystery, Contemporary

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

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

An eerie, hypnotic debut about friendship, desire, and memory set against the sultry backdrop of Florida’s swamplands

It’s been years since Ingrid has heard from her childhood best friend, Mayra, a fearless rebel who fled their hometown of Hialeah, a Cuban neighborhood just west of Miami, for college in the Northeast. But when Mayra calls out of the blue to invite Ingrid to a weekend getaway at a house in the Everglades, she impulsively accepts.

From the moment Ingrid sets out for the house, danger looms: The directions are difficult, she’s out of reach of cell service, and as she drives deeper into the Everglades, the wet maw of the swamp threatens to swallow her whole. But once Ingrid arrives, Mayra is, in many ways, just as she remembers—with her sharp tongue and effortless, seductive beauty, still thumbing her nose at the world.

Before they can fully settle into the familiar intimacy of each other’s company, their reunion is spoiled by the reemergence of past disagreements and the unexpected presence of Mayra’s new boyfriend, Benji. The trio spend their hours eating lavish meals and exploring the labyrinthine house, which holds as much mystery and danger as the swamp itself. Indoors and on the grounds, time itself seems to expand, and Ingrid begins to lose a sense of the outside world, and herself.

Against this disquieting setting, where lizards dart in and out of porches and alligators peek up from dark waters, Gonzalez weaves a surreal, unforgettable story about the dizzying power of early friendship and the lengths we’ll go to earn love and acceptance—even at the risk of losing ourselves entirely.

Content Warning:

+ I am not the right audience for this book. But I still found myself intrigued with the story.

+ My favorite part of the book is the atmosphere, the Florida swamp, and how isolated and lost you can get. I think the author did such a great job setting the scene. Also I liked Ingrid’s voice – she’s a very fleshed out character so even though nothing much was happening for half way into the book, I liked her stories about her early years with Mayra.

+ The friendship between Ingrid and Mayra is a big part of this story and actually it seemed like that’s all this story was about. How a close friendship can change, what the person means to you and other themes of friendship. I like how that was explored, especially with both girls being Cuban and how they were raised was very different from, Mayra’s boyfriend-Benji’s upbringing.

+ This is a short book, under 300 pages and nothing much happens in it until near the end when some of the secret of the house they are staying at is revealed.

~ I wanted to learn more about the sentient house, but once we find out what’s happening the story ends.

~ I don’t think I grasped what the book was about – except for Ingrid and Mayra’s relationship and how they were when they were younger, to now together in the house where things are happening, like making them forget, keeping them there without them really noticing.

~ Ingrid finding a journal halfway through the book? It didn’t interest me and I couldn’t see how that connected with what was happening at first. Until of course the secret of the house is kind of revealed but by then the story was over.

Final Thoughts:

This wasn’t for me but I did enjoy the atmosphere, Ingrid and Mayra. I do wish we learned about what was happening in the house much earlier in the story but I guess there were subtle hints that went totally over my head since Ingrid and Mayra’s friendship was the focus. Would have loved more horror but there wasn’t any really. I think if you like atmospheric mystery and suspense you might enjoy this one.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Bewitching by. Silvia Moreno-Garcia | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating:

Title: The Bewitching

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 7/15/25

Publisher: Del Rey

Categories: Mystery, Horror, Witchcraft, Multigenerational, Historical Fiction

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

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

Three women in three different eras encounter danger and witchcraft in this eerie multigenerational horror saga from the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic.

“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva—stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that’s why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.

In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay’s manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.

Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved.

Content Warning: violence, death, murders, incest

+ This story is told in three timelines and I found each era fascinating. Minerva is a college student in the late 1990’s and writing her research on witchcraft. So the timeline follows her grandmother, Alba’s story in 1908 and her experiences of encountering witchcraft. But Minerva is also researching a mystery of a girl that disappeared from campus, so there is another timeline of the events concerning that time on campus in 1934.

+ I really enjoyed how the author captured the late 90’s since I was also a college student at that time. And it felt nostalgic to see Minerva using a discman and listening to bands I listened to at that time. Loved that! I also liked Minerva’s character and how she’s into horror novels.

+ Most of the horror comes at the end of the story and I did enjoy that part.

~ I did not like the incest that occurred in the book between Alba and her uncle. I actually had to go back to the beginning of the explanation of the family tree to make sure I was reading it right and I didn’t miss that he was just like an Uncle because he was a family friend. Nope. Alba and her Uncle Arturo are only a few years apart in age and it just made me feel gross.

~ As much as I found the three different stories fascinating, I felt like everything moved too slowly in this book, especially in the middle. So I did skim a little to get to the horror and action part, which was near the end of the book.

Final Thoughts:

This might be my least favorite book I’ve read from this author. The writing is great as usual and I found the timelines fascinating but for me the pacing was too slow and also, and no to the incest. I think true horror genre fans would love this because Minerva is a character who is a fan and mentions certain authors that I am not very aware of. I was not the right audience for this one but I still look forward to reading her next book!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Seventh Veil of Salome by. Silvia Moreno-Garcia | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Mexican Gothic by. Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Audiobook Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by. Silvia Moreno-Garcia | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Beautiful Ones | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love Unmasked by. Becky Dean | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating:

Title: Love Unmasked

Author: Becky Dean

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 7/15/25

Publisher: Delacorte Romance

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult

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

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

From the author of Hearts Overboard comes a swoony mystery-filled romance in which a girl on a school trip to Venice gets swept off her feet by a mask-wearing stranger…but does she know him already? Lose yourself in the masquerade—because sometimes, the greatest adventure begins when you unmask your heart.

People pleaser Evie Whitmore can’t believe her art and architecture class trip has brought her to Venice—home of gondolas and crumbling palazzos, and the inspiration for both her art and her hidden passion, Elven Realms, a series of novels set in the very city she’s about to explore.

Rumors about an underground Elven Realms fan club swirl, and Evie, wearing a costume and mask, sneaks out at night to find it. There’s no way she can tell anyone what she’s doing—not her friends, and certainly not Gabriel Martinez, the bad boy loner she’s been partnered with on the trip.

But Evie’s not the only one on this clandestine quest. She collides with someone else in disguise—a stranger whose eyes hold secrets. He calls himself Angelo, and he too loves the novels. Venice is a labyrinth, and as they unravel clues together, their connection deepens. Who is Angelo, really? And who does Evie want him to be?

Content Warning:

+ Evie is on a trip in Venice, Italy with her art class but she has another ulterior motive for being there which involves her favorite novel series, Elven Realms. Everything is going to plan until she is paired up with the new guy, Gabriel Martinez, who doesn’t seem to like her at all.

+ This one was a little predictable but I did love the setting of Venice, Italy and Evie wearing a mask around the mysterious and romantic city, trying to find clues about an Elven Realms event.

+ The romance was cute, he’s grumpy and she’s sunshine. This one is definitely for the teen readers and young YA crowd.

~ This story was a little bit too young for me. This one is definitely for the teen readers and young YA crowd. Also I kept wondering how she couldn’t recognize Gabriel behind the mask. They spent basically all day together!

Final Thoughts:

My favorite thing about this book was the setting of Venice, Italy. How nice to be on a class trip there. Overall, I think younger young adults would enjoy this one.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Maid for Each Other by. Lynn Painter | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Maid for Each Other

Author: Lynn Painter

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 7/15/25

Publisher: Berkley

Categories: Romance, Fake Dating, Rom-Com

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

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

Abi is a professional cleaner, so it’s ironic when she’s forced to move out because of an infestation in her building. Thanks, Apartment 2B!

Declan is a busy man, working his way up at Hathaway Holdings. Which is why he’s never met the woman who cleans his penthouse every week.

Abi needs a place to stay, and Declan is out of town, so the solution seems simple and, crucially, free.

When Declan’s parents tell him they met his girlfriend at his apartment, he’s surprised to say the least. But it is nice to have them off his back about being single for a change. . .

Declan finds out who Abi really is, and decides to makes her a pretend to date him, and he’ll provide everything she needs.

What could go wrong? It’s business, not pleasure. Right?

Content Warning:

+ The book gives off Pretty Woman and Maid in Manhattan movie vibes. It involves Abi who is the maid, who agrees to be a fake girlfriend for Declan, a rich guy, for a shareholders event.

+ This story is a very quick-read and light-hearted romance. It has some tropes that romance readers will enjoy like fake-dating and forced proximity. I don’t know if Declan is a billionaire, but he must definitely be a multi-millionaire because of his family’s company.

+ Abi is a bright personality and I thought it was cute seeing how Declan starts to fall for her. I thought they were funny together, especially when they had to tell stories about how they met. This was a closed door romance.

~ It followed the storyline of Pretty Woman pretty closely, minus the FMC being a prostitute. So it’s predictable.

~ I kind of wanted more from Abi’s character – she’s miss sunshine, but she’s always going through some things like struggling to pay off her student loans. She’s also in the process of writing a book, and doesn’t have the best relationship with her mother but there isn’t really depth in this book. The romance overshadows it all which is fine because it’s supposed to be light-hearted, but I personally I just wanted more.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I thought this was cute and funny at times but it left me still wanting more. If you want a light-hearted, easy to read romance, then check this one out.