Tag: book review

Happily Never After by. Lynn Painter| Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Happily Never After

Author: Lynn Painter

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 313

Publication Date: 3/12/24

Categories: Romance, Contemporary



Their name? The objectors.
Their job? To break off weddings as hired.
Their dilemma? They might just be in love with each other.
 
When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her nuptials that her fiancé has cheated yet again, she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad’s cutthroat boss, she doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector, whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple (usually) wants to hear at their ceremony: “I object!”
 
During anti-wedding festivities that night, Sophie learns more about Max the Objector’s job. It makes perfect sense to her: he saves people from wasting their lives, from hurting each other. He’s a modern-day hero. And Sophie wants in.
 
The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses. As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all.
 
And then everything changes. A groom-to-be hires Sophie to object, but his fiancée is the woman who broke Max’s heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party to his ex’s getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen hard for her partner in crime.

Content Warning: profanity

This one was cute! Max takes on side gigs at an “objector” at weddings which is something I’ve never heard of before but it’s pretty clever if people actually pay someone to do something like that. He objects at Sophie’s wedding and then they become friends. They have great banter and growing chemistry but I really love how they just start off as friends.

Both Max and Sophie have issues about love but I think it’s fun watching them get to the point where they both realize falling for each other might not be a bad thing after all. Especially with all the amazing sex they have together!

I thought Sophie’s roommates were the cutest! Larry really had quite a personality. I did think it was interesting that Asha was her best friend but was barely in the book at all. Larry was more of a best friend to her it seems, which was fine since he was my favorite character probably!

I did think the reason for the fake dating or fake situationship was kind of weak I mean – Max’s dad wanted him to keep Sophie in his life so that he could buy a boat? (He needed the approval from his wife who would be happy that their son Max is dating kinda thing). Also, the third-act break-up was not it. I don’t know that they had to fight over something to do with his ex when she is barely mentioned. It wasn’t the biggest conflict since they were “just friends with benefits”, but the fact that Max had to really evaluate how he felt about his ex kind of bugged me. And there were some things with the writing that made me cringe, like his nickname being Maxxie 😅. Also they use a lot of profanity if you’re not into that.

My Final Thoughts:

I thought this one had a fun premise and two characters that really got into the “objector” role. It never gets deep I think which works for Sophie and Max since they weren’t looking to fall in love but with all the time they spent together getting to know one another it seems inevitable, they just have to stop fighting it. The banter between them was fun and easy. I had my issues here and there but it’s a super quick read and Sophie’s roommates were such fun characters! Overall, it was good – I can see this as a rom-com movie.

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Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Betting on You by. Lynn Painter | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love Wager by. Lynn Painter | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Better Than the Movies | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Dixon Rule by. Elle Kennedy| Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Dixon Rule (Campus Diaries, #2)

Author: Elle Kennedy

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 526

Publication Date: 5/14/24

Categories: Romance, Series, Sports Romance, New Adult, Hockey



Diana Dixon has a lot going on this summer. She’s rehearsing for a ballroom dance competition, juggling two jobs, and dealing with an ex-boyfriend who can’t take the hint it’s over. Yet despite all that, she still has plenty of time and energy to tell Shane Lindley to screw off.

Shane just moved into her apartment building and seems dedicated to sleeping his way through her entire cheerleading squad. Sure, he’s a tall, gorgeous hockey player, but he’s messing with her turf. This calls for some ground rules: no parties in her apartment, leave her teammates alone, and—most importantly—leave her alone.

What Diana doesn’t realize is that Shane’s sick of hookups and tired of being on the rebound after his long-term girlfriend called it quits. He wants a relationship. And when his ex comes back into the picture, he pretends he has one to make her jealous…and who better to play the girlfriend role than his sassy new neighbor?

Despite Diana’s reluctance to break her rule, a fake relationship is the perfect solution for her own ex issues, and soon she can’t deny something is sizzling between her and Shane. Something hot and completely unexpected.

And it might just be getting a little too real.

Content Warning: stalking, physical abuse, death of a parent, grief

This is book two in the Campus Diaries series and I think I like this one more than the first one minus the kinky sex scene which works for some people but for me was an ick.

I like Diana Dixon a lot and I liked her when she was in the first book also. She’s got a good head on her shoulders, she’s independent, hard working, sassy with the guys and a good friend. As for Shane, he’s one of the hockey guys but I like how he’s a girlfriend kinda guy. He’s been trying to get over his ex and has a bad reputation for hooking up with the cheer team, which Diana’s is on. He misses being in a relationship which is opposite of his friends who are so big into hooking up constantly.

The two of them together with their different personalities really appealed to me. There was fun banter between them and lots of chemistry. I thought their interactions with one another at their apartment complex was so funny especially with the HOA meetings and their little community! As for the spice – there is some kink in this book and I’m not judging but that was a scene I could have done without. They are definitely a friend group that is not shy with each other but it’s a no for me! I wanted to close my eyes lol…and I don’t usually feel like that when reading a book.

The conflict comes with both their exes. Diana is dealing with Percy who is becoming a stalker. Her story takes a darker turn with Percy being physical and I didn’t expect that at all. Whereas Shane deals with his ex coming back into his life and wondering how he feels about her. There’s a dark turn to his story also when it comes to his family, which was also unexpected.

I like the Campus Diaries stories so far but I feel like there is a common theme with them. Despite their cartoonish book cover designs that make you think it will be a spicy new adult romance – they actually have some heavy themes and usually it’s thrown in at the end of the book. I don’t know if I like that format, because I feel like things get rushed at the end. Also, the two books I’ve read are 500+ pages long and I don’t think it needs to be. But at least this one was a quicker read because I love Diana and Shane and there was less hockey in this one compared to the first book.

My Final Thoughts:

I liked this one better than The Graham Effect except for that one scene that I wish I could have closed my eyes on lol. For the readers who like kinky sex, you’ll love this one. I usually like angst between two people but Diana and Shane didn’t need it. I love how they are enemies or maybe more frenenemies turned into lovers. Their romance progression was fun and they were both funny together. Like I really believe they are the most solid couple after everything they went through together and know they’ll be together forever. I just wish the books weren’t so long and things get thrown in at the end making some things feel rushed. I’m afraid to read Beckett or Will’s book because it’s definitely going to be kinkier and I can’t with the friends watching one another having sex.😅 So we will see if I read the next book in the series, depends who it will be about!

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Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Graham Effect by. Elle Kennedy | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Misfit by. Elle Kennedy | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Bad Girl Reputation by. Elle Kennedy | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️

Good Girl Complex by. Elle Kennedy | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WWW Wednesday | 6/5/24

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

I didn’t get to read much this week because it was packed with events! And then I think I caught a little cold or maybe it’s my allergies acting up since it’s been so windy here. But it’s making me feel a bit tad under the weather. Here are some books I’m looking forward to finishing up in the next 2 weeks.

What are you currently reading?

The Mirror of Beasts by. Alexandra Bracken – 2% in – I haven’t really worked on this one since it’s publishing in July, so I have time but I’ll be jumping back into it soon.

The Rule Book by. Sarah Adams – I’ll have to re-borrow this one, my time expired on it.

Happily Never After by Lynn Painter – 1% just started

Shadows of Perl by. J. Elle – 2% just started this one

Ghostsmith by. Nicki Pau Preto – I just got this one 2 days ago on Netgalley and moved it up on my reading list! 10% in.

What have you just finished reading?

That Prince is Mine by. Jayci Lee – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What are you going to read next?

What are you reading right now?

When the Moon Hatched by. Sarah A. Parker | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall, #1)

Author: Sarah A. Parker

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 718

Publication Date: 1/13/24

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Series, Dragons, Fae



The Creators did not expect their beloved dragons to sail skyward upon their end. To curl into balls just beyond gravity’s grip, littering the sky with tombstones. With moons.

They certainly did not expect them to fall.

As a valued Elding Blade of the rebellion group Fíur du Ath, Raeve’s job is to kill. To complete orders and never get caught. When a renowned bounty hunter is employed by The Crown to capture a member of the Ath, Raeve’s world is turned upside down. Blood spills, hearts break, and Raeve finds herself at the mercy of the Guild of Nobles—a group of dual-beaded elementals who intend to turn her into a political statement. Only death will set her free.

Crushed beneath a mourning weight, Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to assuage the never-ebbing ache in his chest, his hunt for a moonshard lures him into the belly of Gore’s notorious prison where he stumbles upon something that rips apart his perception of reality. A shackled miracle with eyes full of rage and blood on her hands.

The echo of the past sings louder than the Creators themselves, and even Raeve can’t ignore the truths blaring at her from a warmer, happier time.
However.
There’s more to this song than meets the eye, and some truths …
They’re too poisonous to swallow.

When the Moon Hatched is a fast-paced fantasy romance for fans of witty banter and strong, sassy protagonists. Beneath the cover is an immersive, vibrant world with mysterious creatures, a unique magic system, and a love that blazes through the ages.

Content Warning:

I saw this book all over booktok and wanted to try it but honestly the first few times I tried to start it, I wasn’t feeling it and put it aside. It was actually going to stay as a DNF but five months later, I decided to pick it up because I needed a long book to kill time and I finally pushed through 700+ pages to finish it and I have a few thoughts. At least once I got into a rhythm it read, fairly quick for 700+ pages.

Raeve has a past that she’s buried deep inside her because it’s so traumatic. She’s a cold assassin who is trying her best to survive but in her past she’s lost a lot of people she loved, including a dragon. Her lost is really heartbreaking when the story pieces everything together. Did I get frustrated when she pushed away the truth? Yes, I did but Raeve is going to come to terms and heal on her own time.

Kaan is a king who is trying to rebel against his ruthless brothers. He’s the good guy. I did like the banter between them because Kaan is an alpha male minus the a-hole tendencies which is nice. The two of them have chemistry but without revealing too much, there is much to unravel between them. There are some steamy scenes between them, but not a lot. They have some things to work out between them.

Story wise it’s pretty much Raeve trying to take down a ruthless regime who is oppressing the people. She finds out Kaan has the same goal also but she has some major personal issues to work out. The magic system and calling on different gods is interesting. I really loved the story about Raeve’s past, the people she lost and the dragons, that part did get me emotionally.

But I had a few issues with this book. First off, because the beginning is the story of creation about this world, I was already not connecting to the story because the info dumping, so did I skim it? I did. So for awhile I didn’t understand why the dragons became moons and then the moons would fall. Also – I don’t like the alternative spelling of words like Ma being Mah and Pa being Pah. Or day being Dae. There is a lot of world-building and it took me awhile to immerse myself in this world and learn about it.

My Final Thoughts:

I’m actually surprised I finished this book. I think there was an even amount of things that I liked and didn’t like. I did think it was too long and there is a lot of world building to get through. The way it starts didn’t catch my attention right away and it was almost a DNF for me but I pushed through and did enjoy Raeve’s story. I like the dragons a lot. I don’t know if I will continue the series though only because I’m not sure I have the motivation to read another 700+ pager in this series.

quotes from the book

“How can someone you love so much be here one moment, gone the next?”

When the Moon Hatched by. Sarah A. Parker

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Book Links:

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Heavenbreaker by. Sara Wolf | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Heavenbreaker (#1)

Author: Sara Wolf

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 5/21/24

Categories: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Series



Bravery isn’t what you do. It’s what you endure.

The duke of the powerful House Hauteclare is the first to die. With my dagger in his back.

He didn’t see it coming. Didn’t anticipate the bastard daughter who was supposed to die with her mother—on his order. He should have left us with the rest of the Station’s starving, commoner rubbish.

Now there’s nothing left. Just icy-white rage and a need to make House Hauteclare pay. Every damn one of them.

Even if it means riding Heavenbreaker—one of the few enormous machines left over from the War—and jousting against the fiercest nobles in the system.

Each win means another one of my enemies dies. And here, in the cold terror of space, the machine and I move as one, intent on destroying each adversary—even if it’s someone I care about. Even if it’s someone I’m falling for.

Only I’m not alone. Not anymore.

Because there’s something in the machine with me. Something horrifying. Something…more.

And it won’t be stopped.

Content Warning: grief, violence, murder

This is one of my most anticipated books this year and I bought the hardcover because it’s really gorgeous with the sprayed edges. Now, I did go into this book with a little bit of caution because it’s a space opera and I sometimes love that genre or I just don’t connect. With this book, my feelings landed in the middle.

I love the violent and full of rage main character, Synali. Yes, she should be angry that someone killed her mother and almost killed her. Yes, she should be raging against the injustice of the wealthy houses who don’t do anything to help the poor – she grew up poor and had to do all kinds of things to survive. And yes, she wants to take down her father’s house even if she dies trying.

I found the world-building really creative and I was hooked in the beginning of the story. There is a futuristic jousting tournament every year where riders, ride a steed – but the steed is not a horse. It’s a huge (compared to a tall tower), alien like robotic body of some sort – even in my own mind, I had a hard time imagining it and was wishing this was a graphic novel. Anyway, the rider, rides the steed into the biggest jousting tournament of the year and the winner gets a favor from the king. Synali, is not a rider but she’s chosen to become one for a house that is not her own, all for the goal of revenge and hopefully destruction. The world that is created is really fantastic and there is a lot of history to learn about these steeds and what happened to Earth.

The secondary characters are very interesting like Dravik who has an ulterior motive and we don’t totally know how much of a villain he is yet but Synali is working with him because they both have the same goal in mind. Mirelle, who is Synali’s cousin and enemy, is an interesting character that shows us a little bit of what Synali longed for in a family. Synali sees what could have been if she wasn’t born a bastard. Rax, is her rival but so opposite in nature to her rage, yet Synali hasn’t scratched the surface of him yet. I think there is so much more to learn about all of these characters and I hope we get to see that develop in book two.

Some things that maybe disconnected me from the story? The sci-fi elements, because sci-fi does that to me haha, but I pushed through. The writing – and I usually like her writing because it’s straight to the point but this one was too much being straight to the point at times. The chapters are short, and sometimes the sentences are too, which for the most part I understand because Synali is just walking rage, no feelings except for mostly rage and grief for her mother. The short chapters does help move the story quickly though.

The romance between Synali and Rax has so much potential to be an amazing enemies to lovers but I felt like there wasn’t much emotion between either of because Synali is all about revenge and Rax is all about winning to survive his situation.

My Final Thoughts:

I read this book in one day because I was riveted by the world-building and Synali’s character. I felt like my attention waned a bit as I was rushing through to the end but maybe because I was hoping the romance would develop more but it’s definitely not the main focus of this story. I had my issues here and there with the story but it’s because I’m not a big sci-fi reader. Overall, I was entertained and I’m looking forward to book two and hoping for more development in some of the characters and their relationships.

quotes from the book

“I have my memories. The past isn’t pain – not all the time.”

Heavenbreaker by. Sara Wolf

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Instagram (crafts🎨) | Twitter (X) | Etsy (shop)

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Review | The Unfairfolk (Valenbound, #1) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Send Me Their Souls | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

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

Book Review | Bring Me Their Hearts ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

WWW Wednesday | 5/29/24

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

A/c is fixed, hubby is here and today our son graduates from 5th grade. I can’t believe I’ll have a middle schooler in August. 😭 I might not get a lot of reading done, we shall see but here’s what I’m working on and finished this past week.

What are you currently reading?

The Mirror of Beasts by. Alexandra Bracken – 2% in – I haven’t really worked on this one since it’s publishing in July, so I have time but I’ll be jumping back into it soon.

That Prince Is Mine by. Jayci Lee – 10% in

The Rule Book by. Sarah Adams – 2% in

What have you just finished reading?

Curious Tides by. Pascale Lacelle – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heavenbreaker by. Sara Wolf – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

When the Moon Hatched by. Sarah A. Parker – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What are you going to read next?

What are you reading right now?

Curious Tides by. Pascale Lacelle | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Curious Tides (Drowned Gods, #1)

Author: Pascale Lacelle

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 544

Publication Date: 10/3/23

Categories: Academia, Romance, LGBT+, Witches, Series, Fantasy, Young Adult



Ninth House meets A Deadly Education in this gorgeous dark academia fantasy following a teen mage who must unravel the truth behind the secret society that may have been involved in her classmates’ deaths.

Emory might be a student at the prestigious Aldryn College for Lunar Magics, but her healing abilities have always been mediocre at best—until a treacherous night in the Dovermere sea caves leaves a group of her classmates dead and her as the only survivor. Now Emory is plagued by strange, impossible powers that no healer should possess.

Powers that would ruin her life if the wrong person were to discover them.

To gain control of these new abilities, Emory enlists the help of the school’s most reclusive student, Baz—a boy already well-versed in the deadly nature of darker magic, whose sister happened to be one of the drowned students and Emory’s best friend. Determined to find the truth behind the drownings and the cult-like secret society she’s convinced her classmates were involved in, Emory is faced with even more questions when the supposedly drowned students start washing ashore— alive —only for them each immediately to die horrible, magical deaths.

And Emory is not the only one seeking answers. When her new magic captures the society’s attention, she finds herself drawn into their world of privilege and power, all while wondering if the truth she’s searching for might lead her right back to Dovermere…to face the fate she was never meant to escape.

Content Warning: grief, violence

This one has a slow start but I didn’t give up on and I’m glad I didn’t.

I love the world-building where magic is based on when a person is born and under what moon. It had the dark, gloomy academia vibes which was nice. I love the secret societies intrigue. We have two POVs from Emory and Baz. Emory survived a ritual that killed a bunch of her classmates, but she wasn’t even supposed to be there. Baz is the older brother of her best friend, Romie, who was lost in the ritual. They are both back at Aldryn College – a college for magic users, but this time Emory has new powers and she and Baz are trying to figure what went wrong during the ritual that went bad and they uncover so many things about magic, lies they were told, and secrets about other worlds.

My favorite characters so far are Baz, Kai, and Vera. Emory, I didn’t love because she kept making mistakes and trusting the wrong people. I didn’t see her as a good person, especially with how she treated Baz! She leads him on for her benefit and he deserves better. I hope there is growth for her in book two – there was some at the end of this one, but she really needs to do much more to win me over.

The beginning was too slow and repetitive at times but it picks up at the halfway mark and from then on it gets good mostly because of Kai, who I love but it just moves faster and has more action. There is a love triangle which infuriated me because I could tell from the start that Keiran wasn’t trustworthy but Emory had to learn the hard way I suppose, because she is so stubborn.

My Final Thoughts:

I definitely wanted to read this one because of the beautiful cover and I love the whole moon magic concept. It’s also an academia book and I was in the mood for it. I didn’t love Emory, the love triangle, or the slow beginning and the repetitiveness of some things that could have probably been cut to shorten this 544 page book. But once it picks up in the middle, I really couldn’t put it down! I love Baz, Kai, and Vera. I love the world building and magic system. I do hope there is growth for Emory in book two because I do not think she deserves Baz at all. I am looking forward to reading book two because of how this one ended. I’m curious to see these other worlds that have been hinted at!

Quotes From the Book

“The dead move on and so must we.”

Curious Tides by. Pascale Lacelle

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Instagram (crafts🎨) | Twitter (X) | Etsy (shop)

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Just for the Summer by. Abby Jimenez | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Just for the Summer (Part of Your World, #3)

Author: Abby Jimenez

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: 4/2/24

Categories: Romance, Series



Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.

Emma hadn’t planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?

Content Warning: dysfunctional family, family trauma, grief

I am so out of it that I was seeing this title everywhere and wanted to read it but didn’t even know it was a series until right now as I’m in Goodreads getting the book information to add to this blog post. I’m such a dope. 😆 Because I didn’t read any other books in this series, just this one!

Maybe that’s why I felt so disconnected from the characters? And maybe I’ll have to go read the other books in the series and then maybe look at this book with different eyes – not sure.

I thought the meet-cute between Emma and Justin was really cute but for some reason I felt no chemistry between them at all. Maybe because they really were just nice to one another. Yes, both of them had mom issues to deal with and I’m usually reading about characters who have problems with one another and I like it 😅. I like tension!

Emma’s mom was out of her life and that left her with abandonment issues. How will she know how to commit to anyone when the one woman in her life, her mother, never stayed put? As for Justin, his situation with his mom is just sad. I love how he stepped up for his family though reluctantly which is understandable. He basically is now the parent of his siblings! Both of them have tough situations, so much trauma, but eventually things work out.

So I think my problem is that I wanted a little more tension between Emma and Justin but they are not the tension type of couple. They are wholesome characters who deserve the best and a happy ending. They are two good people who needed to work some things out before getting together in the end. There is nothing wrong with that at all…but the thing is I got bored at the halfway mark and kinda skimmed to the end – which I wasn’t expecting since so many people are raving about this book. But I think I just wasn’t in the right mood for it or maybe I need to read the other books in the series? Not sure. I felt like didn’t have any connection to any of the characters except for Maddy, she was my favorite.

My Final Thoughts:

I’m bummed that this one turned out just okay for me since I went in with high expectations. Also this was the first book I read from this author but maybe I can read the ones before this and see this series in a new light.

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Instagram (crafts🎨) | Twitter (X) | Etsy (shop)

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 5/22/24

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

I might be used to the humidity and heat in my house – this is the 3rd week without a/c! But no, it is uncomfortable to sleep at night when the humidity is high. Not even my dog can sleep comfortably and I’m trying to keep my kiddos hydrated and their electrolytes up so we don’t run into dehydration problems. My hubby is coming home on Saturday so we’ll see how much reading I can get done in the next 2 weeks. We have so many events to attend and stuff to do!😬

What are you currently reading?

The Mirror of Beasts by. Alexandra Bracken – 2% in

Curious Tides by. Pascale Lacelle – page 155 out of 529 , I’m actually reading a hardcover!

That Prince Is Mine by. Jayci Lee – 10% in

What have you just finished reading?

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The Hemlock Queen by. Hannah Whitten | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Hemlock Queen (The Nightshade Crown, #2)

Author: Hannah Whitten

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 4/9/24

Categories: Fantasy, Series, Love Triangle


In the second installment of New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten’s lush, romantic epic fantasy series, a young woman who can raise the dead must navigate the dangerous and glamorous world of the Sainted King’s royal court. 

The corrupt king August is dead. Prince Bastian has seized the throne and raised Lore—a necromancer and former smuggler—to his right hand side. Together they plan to cut out the rot from the heart of the sainted court and help the people of Dellaire. But not everyone is happy with the changes. The nobles are sowing dissent, the Kyrithean Empire is beating down their door, and Lore’s old allies are pulling away. Even Prince Bastian’s changed. No longer the hopeful, rakish, charismatic man Lore knows and loves, instead he’s reckless, domineering and cold. 

And something’s been whispering in her ear. A voice, dark and haunting, that’s telling her there’s more to the story than she knows and more to her power than she can even imagine. A truth buried deep that could change everything. 

With Bastian’s coronation fast approaching and enemies whispering on all sides, Lore must figure out how to protect herself, her prince, and her country before they all come crumbling down and whatever dark power has been creeping through the catacombs is unleashed.

Content Warning: violence

+ I did how everything get messier with the Gods and how they were inhabiting different people. It is the worse for Bastian who is being possessed by Apollius. So it changes him a lot because Apollius is sinister.

+ I do like the supporting cast and the political intrigue happening as Bastian tries to make allies with enemies, or so he says. There is a lot that is unveiled and explained where it comes to the Gods. The world-building is great and shows

~ But this story is too slow. I didn’t even realize it was only 400 pages because it felt like more and took me a few days to finish. I did like the beginning, there is a lull in the middle and then it finishes off strong. Getting to that strong ending though took awhile.

~ I don’t mind love triangles but I do not like this one. I hate that Lore is so indecisive between Bastian and Gabe. I think by the end she decides she loves both of them so what is this going to be? A throuple? I don’t think Bastian or Gabe want to share her. So this romance frustrates me a lot and I don’t feel connected to either of them.

My Final Thoughts:

This one was okay. I think it was just too slow in some parts and too much of Lore trying to figure out which boy she really loves and wants to be with which got tiring. I wanted romance in this but this isn’t it. I think the world-building is great and the politics but I’ll go into book three a little more reserved I think – we shall see what happens!

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The Foxglove King by. Hannah Whitten | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For the Throne by. Hannah F. Whitten | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

For the Wolf by. Hannah F. Whitten | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️