Tag: bookish

Book Review: Legendary (Caraval #2)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Author: Stephanie Garber

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 416

Categories: Magic, Game, Romance, Young Adult, Fantasy

A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister’s. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice, but now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever…

I’m not sure why I wasn’t ready to read this last year when it came out – maybe I needed a break from fantasy books? I know I borrowed it and didn’t finish it. Well, I was ready now! Especially because I borrowed it again and saw I only had a few days left – I was determined to read it.

I vaguely remember book one, Caraval. I know I loved that book. This time it isn’t about Scarlett. Legendary is about her sister, it is Donatella’s story.

Not only do I love her name, but I could relate to Tella. She’s spunky and brave, always throwing caution to the wind. Tella likes to seem unaffected by the boys she dallies with, not trusting the concept of “love”. She has a more pressing issue she’s passionate about, finding her mother, Paloma. Tella enlists the help of someone in secret but in truth she’s basically signed her soul to the devil.

This book drew me back in right away to the very mysterious, enchanting and almost sinister world of Caraval. Caraval is a game masterminded by someone called Legend. No one knows who he really is, just that he has powerful magic that peaks during Caraval. He creates a game with players, clues and fascinating locations, but the game sometimes gets a bit too real. Deathly and scarily real, as Scarlett learned in the first book. This time, Tella plays the game and once more it blurs the line of reality and what isn’t real. The winner of Caraval gets to meet Legend in person, and Tella owes someone payment for their help. She owed them the identity of Legend in order to free her mother. Tella needs to win or she will die.

The story is in every sense magical from the description of the location, the people who work for Legend, to the lavish dresses and costumes that Tella and her sister adorns every night. The writing is lyrical and delicious, in a decadent way. I swear this story is so scrumptious, I ate it up! I ate it up quick.

We learn about the Fates in this story and more about a certain cursed deck of cards. I really enjoyed that part of the story because it really put Tella in a dilemma. She has an impossible choice and I wondered what path she would take. Also, we learn more about who Legend is in this book, finally! I was beginning to think he was every hot guy we encountered in the book. I didn’t know who to trust or believe! And can we speak about the guys? Even the villains and irritating guys are handsome and I thought, no wonder Tella has fun kissing whoever she wants with so many attractive guys around. 😅 But there is romance in here ladies and gents…but we will see where it goes in the next book!

I started this book yesterday and finished it BEFORE midnight! I couldn’t stop, it was so good. I did find some parts slower than the first book …or maybe because Caraval was new and exciting it went by quicker. Also, do we get to see more of The Prince of Hearts in Finale? Because he sort of dropped off in an anti-climatic way. 🤔 Of course now I’m ready to read Finale, and I don’t have a copy.

So that will be my goal today – finding Finale. 😅 I need to know how this ends.

Get it here: Amazon

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Arc Review: Heartwood Box

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Author: Ann Aguirre

Format: eBook (NetGalley eArc)

Categories: Mystery, Time Travel, Paranormal, Romance

Pages: 336

Publication Date: July 9, 2019

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

In this tiny, terrifying town, the lost are never found. When Araceli Flores Harper is sent to live with her great-aunt Ottilie in her ramshackle Victorian home, the plan is simple. She’ll buckle down and get ready for college. Life won’t be exciting, but she’ll cope, right?

Wrong. From the start, things are very, very wrong. Her great-aunt still leaves food for the husband who went missing twenty years ago, and local businesses are plastered with MISSING posters. There are unexplained lights in the woods and a mysterious lab just beyond the city limits that the locals don’t talk about. Ever. When she starts receiving mysterious letters that seem to be coming from the past, she suspects someone of pranking her or trying to drive her out of her mind. To solve these riddles and bring the lost home again, Araceli must delve into a truly diabolical conspiracy, but some secrets fight to stay buried… 

Thank you to MacMillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.

Heartwood Box is a mystery story that builds slowly in the beginning and packs a punch at the end with an ending that is somewhat bizarre but it works. I thought it was creative and different. My reaction was more like, what?……🤔

While reading this book, I was wondering if this was a ghost story but some things didn’t add up especially when there are people going missing in this strange town. I mean if it was just haunted, why would people go missing? Also, this is the second book I’ve read this month with references to World War I! That’s pretty cool since most people are engrained in World War II history, so I like having the spotlight be on WWI.

I enjoyed the diversity represented with the characters. Araceli is a strong young lady who grew up abroad in Central and South America, so she’s seen a lot of things, especially with parents who are investigative reporters. But this town is something different and she has a challenging time figuring things out.

I thought the ending was a nice twist and a bit strange. But I still enjoyed it because the story is well written. It flowed nicely from a slow mystery, which took me a few days to get into and then it took a turn with full on action and time-travel in the last part of the book. Yes, it did that.

Overall, I like this book! It’s not usually the type of genre I read but it was a nice change of pace.

Get it here: Amazon

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Friday Five: 5 Fantasy/Sci-Fi Book Series – I Read On Kindle Unlimited

I’ve been meaning to do some fun Top 5 or Top 10 list post and sometimes I just don’t have the time! How do you awesome bloggers do it? 😘

So Kindle Unlimited – let’s talk about it. For a monthly subscription you get to read unlimited books in the Kindle library. When I had no kids, I bought books like crazy! When we moved into a small house, I had to donate my books, keeping only a few. When I had kids, and a bigger mortgage – I had to be on a budget! Thank goodness for libraries!

I tried out Kindle Unlimited because of one author, Christi Caldwell. I was looking for new romance authors because it was my favorite genre but I was having a hard time finding ones that appealed to me. I read one of her books and wanted more so I got a subscription. But because it’s a monthly subscription, there were times I was in a reading rut trying to find something good there – and cancelled. I joined again, cancelled and joined again! 😅 Then I tried some of the fantasy ebooks…and I’ve had a steady subscription since. So here are my 5 fantasy/sci fi (mostly fantasy) book series I’ve found on Kindle Unlimited that I’ve enjoyed so far!

The Spoken Mage Series by. Melanie Cellier

This series is pretty good. I enjoyed seeing Elena, the spoken mage, learn, grow and fall in love. My favorite thing though is the friendships she’s made along the way. I’m going to be finishing up the series soon, so hopefully it ends on a good note.

The Tainted Accords Series by. Kelly St. Clare

I read this series last year and really enjoyed it! I was transported to a fascinating fantasy world. Princess Olina has worn a veil over her face since her infancy and watching her transform from a girl with a veil to one without is pretty awesome.

Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles by. Elise Kova

I should feature the Air Awakens series but honestly it’s been four years since I’ve read it. So instead I’ll talk about Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles, the re-entry into Elise Kova’s fantasy world filled with magic and political intrigue. I’ve only read book one, and will get to book two eventually when I get this TBR list down a little. 😅

The Culling Trials by. K.F. Breene & Shannon Mayer

These academy books always get me! I’m serious! Haha – but this series is very addicting. I’m in the middle of book three right now and can’t wait to see how it ends. Sometimes these indie book are so short, they could have mashed these three books to make one book! But I don’t mind the short wait between the books. In this series we have a very strong female character who is surrounded by vampires, necromancer, goblins, magic users and assassins. It’s so fast pace and fun! It’s a wild adventure throughout the whole series. Speaking of “Wild” that’s our character’s nickname and I can see why! Loving this series so far!

Secondborn Series by Amy A. Bartol

I am not a big sci-fi fan. Actually this was the series that got me saying, oh, okay maybe I like sci-fi, maybe… I love Amy A. Bartol’s stories because they are creative even if they go off a bit tangent and wild, there is something about them that is addictive. Secondborn is cool, Traitor Born is my favorite and Rebel Born – though I gave it 4 1/2 stars because the romance part came together the way I wanted and I’m obsessed with Reykin haha, this book goes almost into another dimension diving into sci-fi/mythology/fantasy it made my head spin. It works for some people and others hated. I actually understood what the author was trying to do – but there was a lot of info dump about parallel universes, mind control and then add the mythology…it’s a whirlwind. It would have played out better if we had hints of these things in book one and two for sure! I still love it though. 😬

Have you read any of these books? Are you a Kindle Unlimited subscriber? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Reading! 😘

What I’m Watching, What I’m Reading

Aloha everyone! Are we already at the end of May? My son’s last day of Kindergarten is on Friday and time just keeps moving on, quickly.

May was a crazy month filled with celebrations, reading, watching Game of Thrones, sinus and vertigo issues, teething issues for my baby girl and planning for summer activities for the kids.

Speaking of Game of Thrones…

I was one of the people not disappointed in the ending because I had picked Bran to rule. Not because I like him or anything, I’ve always been House Stark from Season 1 because I loved Ned Stark and at the time my husky named, Sky (who I miss dearly) was like 4 years old when this show came out and she was my “dire wolf”. I almost named my unborn daughter Arya (until she started taking faces in the show 😂) – I had a feeling my daughter (who was in my womb during season 7) was going to have a sweeter disposition, she hardly kicked me. Anyway I picked Bran because he seemed like the mostly likely “twist” in the story. I made my pick of Bran after S.8 Ep. 2 where he actually says something that made me think…A LOT. So in one week before the finale, I binged 70+ episodes. Yes. CRAZY, I know! I did skip a lot of the High Sparrow and Ramsay episodes because I hate Ramsay with a passion. The High Sparrow was mostly about Cersei and I didn’t think she’d end up staying on the throne. My kids were humming the theme song by the end of the week and my head was spinning with theories. I wanted to focus on Dany and Bran. But Bran’s story was making light bulbs go off in my head from season 1! Amazing show, thank you to the cast and crew for helping me escape every Sunday for eight seasons! It helped me get through some hard parenting days, that’s for sure! ❤️

Since GoT is over, I’ve binged on Sweetbitter on STARZ and now The Spanish Princess. I’m waiting for Big Little Lies on HBO and eventually Stranger Things on Netflix. I also have to catch up on A Discovery of Witches.

I’m really enjoying all these book to tv series adaptations! Give me more!

What I’m Reading…

And what have I been reading? Or trying to read…some of these books I borrowed I’m not in the “mood” to read yet. Are you a mood reader? Or can you jump into any book? I’m a little bit of both but mostly a mood reader.

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler – because I watched the show on STARZ, I might as well read the book too. 📺

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco – because she’s filipino and I am too! Gotta support my people. ❤️

Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell – because I keep seeing it everywhere and that cover, plus a sci-fi Les Mis retelling? I’m getting through this slowly. 📖

On The Come Up by Angie Thomas – because I hear it’s really good and I liked The Hate U Give. ❤️

Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy – because of the cover and King Arthur modern retelling but seriously wasn’t in the mood to continue last week. But I will finish it and review it. 👑

Enchantee by Gita Trelease – because I heard good things and check out that cover. 😍

LitJoy Crate

I got my first book crate! I love seeing them being posted on instagram and I finally took a look at a few sites and bought the May crate from LitJoy Crate. And it’s a beauty!

I’m in love with all the bookish items: the pot holders, the envelopes and that pillow case of Cardan (from Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince) on it. 😍 All the items are gorgeous, I don’t even want to use them. I just want to look at them and keep it in the box. 😂

And the book it came with is Nocturna by Maya Motayne. What a cover – it is so vibrant and beautiful 🧡. I shall be reading this book very soon and doing a review of it. I’m trying to decide which book crate I’ll purchase next. I’d like to try a few others like Owl Crate but we shall see.

I hope all of you have had an awesome month! What are you watching or reading now? And do you subscribe to book crates? If so, any you want to recommend? Happy reading! 😘

It’s Monday Again: Weekend Recap – Book Festival, Game of Thrones

Aloha everyone! How was your weekend? I hope everyone had a good weekend. My family and I had planned to go to the annual Filipino Festival on Saturday. The weather app said it would rain, but we hoped it would stopped for a bit and didn’t get our wish. We got TOTALLY drenched. Of all days to rain in Hawaii. It was on Saturday. 😂

My kids were good sports about it, even though they were soaked through. My son and I ran from tent to tent, bought some pancit noodles and some other foods to help support the vendors somehow. Then we ran back to my hubby and daughter who were waiting under another tent. We had to dash to the car, which got us even more wet. We stopped by my mom’s house which thankfully was nearby to dry off. The kids got to play with their cousins so they had fun regardless.

On Sunday the sun came out – hooray! My son had his last day of Sunday school so he went with his dad and I took my little girl out to the Hawaii Book & Music Festival. It was my first time going and we had a really nice time.

They had hula dancers, music, local publishing houses, bounce houses, gelato 😋 and books! As we were looking at books under the Barnes and Nobles tent a worker told me Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi would be there to sign her books – I didn’t even know she had books! It’s a coincidence my daughter had decided to wear her sparkly shoes then – because she calls them her “ice skate shoes”. Kristi Yamaguchi was very sweet and gracious. I also love her book which I’ll write a review on sometime this month.

We had such a fun day and most importantly I got a bunch of books for my kids. I’ll do reviews on them so check back in the Children’s Books page for that.

Lastly, who’s been watching Game of Thrones? I’ve been a fan from Season 1. I remember my hubby and I watching Season 1 and at the end of that season he was SO mad. He knew it wasn’t a show for him if they killed off Ned Stark right away. As for me…I wanted to know who else would die. Haha…so wow, I can’t believe there are only 2 more episodes left. 😳 I’ve never read the books, I’ve been meaning too – but people say the show is now different from them, so I didn’t want to compare since I love the show. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Should I still read them? 🤔

Anyway I have my pick for who will win the throne. It’s so fun discussing it with friends and family who are fans and debate who should win. Which House are you? I’d say I’m House Stark. 😬

Hope you all had a good weekend and read some good books this week! Happy reading! 😘

Book Review: The Priory of the Orange Tree

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Samantha Shannon

Format: Hard cover

Pages: 830

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, Dragons, Court Politics

Book Blurb:

A world divided.
A queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction–but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

MY REVIEW

This 800+ pages standalone saga is epic in scale. The world building is complex with a lot of information to absorb: names, titles, positions, and places. The beginning is all about world building so this story didn’t click for me until almost halfway into the book! And when I say click, I mean that’s when everything started flowing better – that’s about almost 300 pages into the story. The build up of the story took time because there are four different perspectives being told by: Ead in the West at Inys, Niclays Roos and Tané in the East, and Lord Artheloth on a ship headed South to Yscali.

Queen Sabran is the ruler of the Queendom of Inys which lies in the West. There is a woman named Ead Duryan who seems to be the eyes and ears at her court. We find out she is much more than that. The Queen needs an heir because continuing the House of Berethnet would protect their lands from their enemy, the Nameless One. He is a huge evil wrym (dragon) who was bound a thousand years ago but is about to awaken soon. The wyrms in the West are fire-breathers and feared by all.

Many of the kingdoms in this book seem to be based off on the histories of various countries in our own real world. Inys reminds me of England, Queen Sabran reminded me of Queen Elizabeth I. The East basically pulls from China and Japan. The South seems similar to the middle east and Africa.

Tané’s story anchored me to this tale because it starts with her and also because the East reveres their dragons and I wanted to read about dragons. Tané is a Sekiinese young woman who is training to be a dragonrider and she achieves that goal. Her dragon is wonderful and so wise, I loved their bond. But Tané’s past comes back to haunt her. On the other side, Ead’s story flourishes as we learn about her amazing skills. Out of all the characters, I think Ead’s story is the most fleshed out and what a story it is. Both of these women are fearless and fierce but with quite different journeys.

There is a lot going on in this story. There is court politics, mages, religion, alchemy, myth, lore, magical beasts, pirates, quests, magical artifacts, adventures across oceans, and treks across desserts. There are battles, there is loss, love and hope. This story is female driven, from the villains to the heroines and there is diversity represented in the characters and romance, which I appreciated. It touched on issues we deal with as women: love, marriage, child birth, our fears, our ambitions, our responsibilities, and our power.

This story is not perfect. I’d rather have had more of Tané’s story and less of Niclays Roos. I felt at times I wanted to read more of one perspective than another, so I would think…okay, hurry up, just get on with it. Like the quest for immortality, was that really needed? I just wanted to read more about how they were going to defeat the Nameless One.

Also, though I didn’t think I related to any one character deeply, that was okay. Each character had something I could relate to and admire: Queen Sabran with her strength and vulnerabilities, Ead with her protectiveness and knowledge, Tané with her insecurities, love for her dragon and courage, and Loth – who wants to hold onto all his beliefs but braves the open waters to try and help the people he loves. Even Niclays Roos – who I disliked the most, his resentment and bitterness from heartbreak – I could relate to that as well.

I’m still thinking about this story after finishing it two days ago. I think I may even pick it up again later when I have nothing else to read (when is that? haha) just to see if I missed anything. It’s one of those tales I won’t be forgetting anytime soon so I think overall, this book has done it’s job. It is unforgettable.

**On a side note – if you don’t want to lug around a 3 lbs hard cover book (yes I weighed it 😂) – get the ebook version! **

Book Review: The Gamer’s Guide to Getting the Girl

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Kristine Scarrow

Format: E-book

Pages: 208

Publication Date: July 16, 2019

Categories: Young Adult, Gaming, Romance

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

Book Blurb:

Zach is used to living in a world of legendary battles, epic journeys, and life-or-death situations. As a gamer, he is hard-wired for adventure, even though it’s from the comfort of his parents’ couch. But nothing has prepared him for battling the biggest storm in Saskatchewan’s history. 

On top of this, Zach has finally met the girl of his dreams, but he finds himself helping everyone else stay safe while his best friend spends time with her. What Zach doesn’t realize is that love always finds its way when you’ve found the right person and are ready to risk it all to save the day.

MY REVIEW

Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn for this e-arc of The Gamer’s Guide to Getting the Girl.

What drew me to this book was the title. My husband and young son are gamers. I dabble slightly in gaming when my son needs someone to game with. So I requested this book because I thought the story of this gamer boy trying to get a girl would be cute and funny.

The story is well written, there are no problems there, but I felt there was a lack of connection between Zach, our gamer, and Samara, the girl he’s trying to get. The references to video games I knew was fun and made me smile. The author took Zach’s love of gaming and put him into a real life challenging situation, to test his real life skills.

So Zach sees a girl, Samara, in the video game store and is stunned that she’s beautiful and is a gamer as well. It’s insta-love, but he just doesn’t seem to know how to approach her and connect to her, he sort of tries. Then a storm locks them and a few others in the mall. The rest of the story deals with keeping people safe, fed, happy and under control. Zach steps up to the plate and helps with all of this – he is a great guy, but does Samara notice him? It’s easy to say from all of Zach’s actions in this book he’s an all around good guy. He cares about people, he wants to save lives, he’s level-headed and smart.

It’s a crazy time to fall in love – during a storm and tornado watch! I really didn’t see how Samara was secretly crushing on him at all during the whole event. She was always upset and walking off after talking with Zach. And I don’t think Zach was doing much to get the girl at all. He was infatuated with her, for sure, but doing enough to get to know her? I didn’t feel it until much later in the book. Like his friend Cooper pointed out, Zach was busy helping everyone else. Cooper knew her much better than Zach did!

It was a fast read, with good writing and a great cast of secondary characters. I just wish there was a bit more build up to the romance and seeing Zach put more effort into really getting the girl.

Book Review: Honor Bound (The Honors #2)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Authors: Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

Format: Hard cover

Pages: 467

Categories: Space, Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Cliffhanger

Book Blurb

Zara Cole was a thief back on Earth, but she’s been recently upgraded to intergalactic fugitive. On the run after a bloody battle in a covert war that she never expected to be fighting, Zara, her co-pilot Beatriz, and their Leviathan ship Nadim barely escaped the carnage with their lives. Now Zara and her crew of Honors need a safe haven, far from the creatures who want to annihilate them. But with two wounded Leviathan to treat, plus human and non-human refugees to help, they’ll have to settle for the nearest outpost, called the Sliver: a wild, dangerous warren of alien criminals. Zara’s skills from the Zone may be invaluable. However, Zara discovers that the secrets of the Sliver may have the power to turn the tide of the war they left behind—but in the wrong direction. Soon Zara will have to make a choice: stand against the ultimate evil or run from it. But she’s never walked away from a fight.

MY REVIEW:

The exciting space adventure continues with this second installment of The Honors series, Honor Bound.

I usually read books with romance in it but this book is different. I can’t describe it as a romance because the relationship is between Zara and her ship, a Leviathan named Nadim. I would call it a deep friendship bond – like soulmates and it’s a beautiful thing. I imagine these leviathans to be like whale space ships, who are intelligent and communicate with their Honor (their human). Are they in love? Sometimes I think they are but maybe it’s my own human limitations of my own experiences I’m applying to their relationship. I should know by now after reading two books in this series, anything can happen. And that goes for what happens when Beatriz is included in the bonding moments too. 👀😬

The world building is fantastic. I’ve only started getting into space operas, I’m not that big into the Sci-Fi genre but this series has kept me interested so far. I can imagine this world of multi-gender, slimy, blobby, tentacled, reptilian-like, God-like aliens. The writing is descriptive and the action scenes are so exciting, it kept me on the edge of my seat.

I thought the beginning of the book was slow but it does pick up when they have to dock somewhere for repairs. Of course they stop at the Sliver, a place with shady deals going on, where anything goes if you want to earn currency and is run by Bacia Annont. Zara Cole, shines in this book. She kicks ass, literally! Whether it’s in the Pits, on a mission for Bacia Anont, or fighting the Phage and the Lifekiller, this girl has the heart of a fighter and the smarts too. She’s saving her friends, making friends, and trying to keep everyone alive.

Now the ending is a major cliffhanger! I was like, NO, you can’t end there! One thing that threw me off a little and had to dig in my memory bank for was the issue back on earth with a part of Zara’s past. It emerges in the last part of the book and I was trying to remember who this person was to Zara from the first book. I think it will just make for more action and fighting in the third book, but I wasn’t sure if it was even needed? Zara is dealing with so much already in space. What’s one more thing to mess up her mission, right?

All I know is Zara Cole can handle anything that comes her way with the bonds she has solidified with her friends, new crew members and leviathans. Let’s hope she can make it out alive in book three!

Book Review: Repeat

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Author: Kylie Scott

Format: E-book

Pages: 304

Categories: Contemporary Romance, Memory Loss, Second Chances

Book Blurb:

When a vicious attack leaves 25-year-old Clementine Johns with no memory, she’s forced to start over. Now she has to figure out who she was and why she made the choices she did – which includes leaving the supposed love of her life, tattoo artist Ed Larsen, only a month before.

Ed can hardly believe it when his ex shows up at his tattoo parlor with no memory of their past, asking about the breakup that nearly destroyed him. The last thing he needs is more heartache, but he can’t seem to let her go again. Should they walk away for good, or does their love deserve a repeat performance?

MY REVIEW

Repeat is a second chance romance by the awesome, Kylie Scott. It’s an interesting story about a young woman named Clementine who loses her memory due to a head injury. So learning about who she was before and after her injury is quite fascinating. Especially when her “before” included a handsome ex-boyfriend, Ed, who seems to hate the sight of her. Interesting.

From that moment, I had to find out why, along with Clementine, Ed struggled with seeing her. Why did his friends hate her, what did old Clementine do before her injury? Was she really that awful? But there is also a mystery to be solved involving how she came by her injury – was it random or deliberate? If it was deliberate, who’s behind it? That mystery takes a back seat to the focus of the story though, Clementine and Ed’s second chance at love.

I love Kylie Scott’s writing but I had trouble getting into this story like I usually do with her other books. I wasn’t feeling Clementine or Ed until midway into the book. I think I just kept trying to piece together old Clem, but eventually I just wanted to forget about old Clem, because new Clem was pretty cool. She’s a survivor! Ed didn’t stand out much for me, except in the bedroom of course. 😬 And those bedroom scenes are sizzling hot. But I will say he’s very patient with her after getting rid of his anger for her.

I thought the ending was a little rushed but overall, I enjoyed reading this book and seeing Clementine find her new self and getting a second chance at love.

What I’m Reading

Or trying to attempt to read… The TBR list is growing on my shelf (hard covers), and also in my NetGalley and Overdrive accounts. That’s a good thing, since I’d rahter have books to read than nothing at all. 😉

The Hardcover Books ❤️ I got these gorgeous books at the library – it’s always a long wait for someone as impatient as me. But wait, I must! Going to start these soon:

Isn’t she gorgeous? This is one thick, heavy book, coming in at 827 pages! 😱 I have to find the right time to dig into this one – after my early Easter Egg hunt party I’m hosting this Sunday should be good.

I’ve heard lots of good things about this book and I hope it lives up to the hype.


I am intrigued with this series because of Zara’s interaction or “relationship” with her ship, Nadim! Yes, I thought I was going crazy that I was kind of falling in love with her ship. A ship. But think of them as big whale space pets that can talk – sounds confusing, I know, but that’s what my son said it sounded like when I tried to explain to him what Nadim was. My son is six 🤷🏻‍♀️😂. But it’s a unique intergalactic adventure and I can’t wait to read this one.

My NetGalley list is growing but I’m trying to finish up these two I picked up on a whim:

I’m trying desperately to finish this book. But it is not for me, yet I’m determined to finish. I think my problem with it is the main character – I just don’t care for her.

I was drawn in with that pretty cover and I thought I was in the mood for a young adult romance, but by Chapter 17, I found myself reading one chapter and then putting it down. I’m going to finish today and send in my review because I really do want to move onto my other NetGalley reads.

This one looks promising – it hooked me at Michaelangelo, the Sistine Chapel and secret societies. It reminds me a bit of The Da Vinci Code, which I obsessed over when it first released.

Having visited the Vatican 7 years ago, it reminds me of that amazing trip and just the glory of that fresco in the Sistine Chapel. So I hope this is a good one full of action, the setting is perfect for a thrilling adventure!

And last but not least – the books on my Overdrive:

I just finished this one yesterday and it was pretty good! It has romance, steamy sex scenes, and a pretty fascinating world out in space. This is definitely a series I will be continuing when the sequel comes out. Check out my review here.

Have you read any of these books? What are you reading now? Leave me your comments below! 😘