The Witch Collector by. Charissa Weaks | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Witch Collector (#1)

Author: Charissa Weaks

Format: ebook (own)

Pages: 343

Publication Date: 11/01/21

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, New Adult, Magic, Witches

Every harvest moon, the Witch Collector rides into our valley and leads one of us to the home of the immortal Frost King, to remain forever.

Today is that day—Collecting Day.

But he will not come for me. I, Raina Bloodgood, have lived in this village for twenty-four years, and for twenty-four years he has passed me by.

His mistake.

Raina Bloodgood has one desire: kill the Frost King and the Witch Collector who stole her sister. On Collecting Day, she means to exact murderous revenge, but a more sinister threat sets fire to her world. Rising from the ashes is the Collector, Alexus Thibault, the man she vowed to slay and the only person who can help save her sister.

Thrust into an age-old story of ice, fire, and ancient gods, Raina must abandon vengeance and aid the Witch Collector in saving the Frost King or let their empire—and her sister—fall into enemy hands. But the lines between good and evil blur, and Raina has more to lose than she imagined. What is she to do when the Witch Collector is no longer the villain who stole her sister, but the hero who’s stealing her heart?

Content Warning: violence

I have been eyeing this one for awhile and finally got it when it was $0.99 on Kindle! This is what did and didn’t work for me:

+ The cover is so pretty, it gives me winter vibes.

+ Raina is mute, so I love that she uses sign language and others around her (only a few) know how to sign with her too. Raina is also really brave and is a fighter even though her true skill as a witch is healing and scrying.

+ It’s an enemies to lovers romance but it’s one-sided. Raina’s plan is actually kill the Witch Collector, Alexus, but things don’t go as planned. Instead she reluctantly has to cooperate with him if they are going to save her sister and the Frost King. Alexus has been into her for a long time now, so it’s Raina who is fighting the attraction she is starting to feel with him. There are some sexy scenes between them and even one epic sex scene that was not just hot physically but emotionally (the thing that happened with the life threads). The two of them really grew on me.

+ World building is great! There is some back story about Alexus that shows the bigger picture of what they are dealing with. There are gods, evil princes and witches! The magic system is intriguing as well.

~ We get thrown into the story – we meet Raina and she wants to kill Alexus because he took her eldest sister years ago. But there is some backstory we are missing about Nephele (her sister) and the Frost King. I kind of wish maybe we knew their story first, because it seems very important to everything going on. That was my main issue. I felt like I was catching up to the story. And Alexus had to do a lot of explaining to Raina.

~ Raina does go from obsessing over killing Alexus to then sleeping with him. So…I thought it was a quick turn around. I think it was her sister at the end of the book that said Alexus knew Raina for only 2 weeks and he was ready to burn the world down for her! TWO WEEKS! 😅 He got through her defenses super fast but I guess all he really needed to do was explain the Nephele/Frost King situation.

Tropes: one-sided enemies to lovers, hiding great powers

Spice Level: 🌶🌶

Why you should read it:

a good romantasy read – it’s got equal parts romance and the fantasy world building is great
Raina is mute, great representation
entertaining – it has action and a fight with an evil prince

Why you might not want to read it:

slight pacing issues, a little slower in the middle
the romance happens in the span of 2 weeks, even though Alexus has been wanting her for longer than that

My Thoughts:

I think this was pretty enjoyable if you are looking for a romantasy to read. It’s got an enemies to lovers romance, a steamy scene or two, lots of magic and fighting against an evil prince, and I’m looking forward to reading book two, City of Ruin.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Inadequate Heir by. Danielle L. Jensen | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Inadequate Heir (The Bridge Kingdom, #3)

Author: Danielle L. Jensen

Format: ebooks (borrowed)

Pages: 625

Publication Date: 5/24/22

Publisher: CLA

Categories: Series, Romantasy, Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Forbidden Love, Fantasy, Kingdom Politics

Return to the world of The Bridge Kingdom in this sensuous fantasy full of romance and intrigue that is perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Silver Flames.

A soldier raised as heir to an empire, Zarrah is motivated by two truths. The first is that the Veliant family murdered her mother. And the second is that her pursuit of vengeance will put every last one of them in their graves.

The Endless War between Maridrina and Valcotta has raged for generations, leaving thousands of Zarrah’s people dead and countless more orphaned. So when she’s given command of the contested city of Nerastis, Zarrah is prepared to do whatever it takes to destroy the Maridrinian forces who oppose her. And to kill the Veliant prince who leads them.

Yet a chance encounter with an anonymous, and handsome, Maridrinian causes Zarrah to question whether the violence she’s perpetrated is justice or a crime. And as she continues to meet the nameless man each night, she finds common ground – and fiery passion – in his arms.

But when identities are revealed, Zarrah must decide whether to embrace a chance at peace…or march to the drums of war.

Content Warning: violence, torture, death

This is Keris’ story and I thought it was interesting how it runs parallel to The Bridge Kingdom timeline. So this is basically happening while Lara is infiltrating Ithicana and falling for Aren! I did like Keris’ and Zarrah’s perspectives on the different sides of the war because it’s a war between kingdoms. The wonderful world building is back and because this is from outside Ithicana we get a broader scope of the different kingdoms at war with one another. I love everything about the war between kingdoms, the players in it – the unsuspecting ones like the Harem, and I think it’s just written so well! You feel the high-stakes politics being played out from the beginning to the end of this book.

As for Keris, I expected nothing less than the bookish, non-fighting, womanizer that we meet. This is Lara’s full brother! He is charming and clever, staying out of the limelight so he can scheme but Zarrah is his downfall and the way it ends is tragic. Zarrah is a warrior and I love that she’s tough! They are both trying to find their way to peace between their kingdoms while falling for one another. And let me tell you – these two together are scorching hot! Zarrah is a woman not shy about what she wants and Keris gives it to her.🔥

King Silas and the Magpie are in strong villain form but the ending indicates Zarrah’s aunt Petra, the Empress is even worse than they are and I look forward to reading the next book to find out what she has done and see if Keris and Zarrah can ever be together.

By the way, I loved seeing Aren and Lara in this through Keris and Zarrah’s perspectives, I’ll always love those two.

The only thing about this being parallel to The Bridge Kingdom events is that it’s a longer book and smashes the events in the first book into this one. I kept trying to remember the things that happened in the first two books and I’m glad I remembered because it really is a story that I stuck in my head.

Why you should read it:

you love the first two books in the series – Aren and Lara make an appearance in this book also since the timeline coincides with events in The Bridge Kingdom
Keris and Zarrah are hot together! Enemies to lovers, forbidden love, all the feels
high-stakes politics, great world building

Why you might not want to read it:

you haven’t read the first 2 books

My Thoughts:

I liked how this paralleled The Bridge Kingdom as we get to see another perspective and this time from Keris and Zarrah. There are many factors at play in this high stakes political romance story and it fits so well in the series. I love Keris and Zarrah but I can see they have a few challenges to overcome between them. I can’t wait for the next book to see how Keris and Zarrah can make their love work – I’m rooting for them!

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the Book:

I do want to remake the world so that I can be with you. So that I can get down on my knees and ask you to be my wife. So that I can put a crown on your head and make you my queen. So I can build a shrine and worship you as my goddess. I want all of these things, yet I face a future with none of them, and I don’t know whether I want to fall on my own blade or burn everything to ash because I do not want to let you go.”
– Danielle L. Jensen, The Inadequate Heir

A lifetime wouldn’t be enough. Eternity wouldn’t be enough. Not when I want to map every star in the sky with you in my arms.”
– Danielle L. Jensen, The Inadequate Heir

Violet Made of Thorns by. Gina Chen | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Violet Made of Thorns

Author: Gina Chen

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 6/21/22

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Enemies to Lovers, 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 Delacorte Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A darkly enchanting fantasy debut about a morally gray witch, a cursed prince, and a prophecy that ignites their fate-twisted destinies—perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and Serpent & Dove.

Violet is a prophet and a liar, influencing the royal court with her cleverly phrased—and not always true—divinations. Honesty is for suckers, like the oh-so-not charming Prince Cyrus, who plans to strip Violet of her official role once he’s crowned at the end of the summer—unless Violet does something about it.

But when the king asks her to falsely prophesy Cyrus’s love story for an upcoming ball, Violet awakens a dreaded curse, one that will end in either damnation or salvation for the kingdom—all depending on the prince’s choice of future bride. Violet faces her own choice: Seize an opportunity to gain control of her own destiny, no matter the cost, or give in to the ill-fated attraction that’s growing between her and Cyrus.

Violet’s wits may protect her in the cutthroat court, but they can’t change her fate. And as the boundary between hatred and love grows ever thinner with the prince, Violet must untangle a wicked web of deceit in order to save herself and the kingdom—or doom them all.

Content Warning: Self Harm

This was an interesting story! It’s a dark fantasy, with an enemies to lovers trope, infused with different fairy tales – the ones I could pick out right away was Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast.

Violet is a Seer for the Kingdom of Auveny. She was brought into that position when she saved the Prince Cyrus’ life when they were young. Violet grew up under the protection and tutelage of the king and she’s been very appreciative of it to Cyrus’ discontent and irritation. Violet is supposed to be the unrelatable, unlikable character but I like her. She doesn’t fawn over Cyrus, she’s blunt and rude but I understood her motivation to survive in court. She’s an antiheroine. But Violet is a liar, and she’s obedient to a king who is trying grow the Kingdom by overtaking their neighbors, and she helps him if this means she has a position at court. I understood her fears – she doesn’t believe in love because it can hurt her. She’s practical about things, until Cyrus calls her out on it.

I enjoyed a bunch of the characters like Cyrus who is supposed to be Prince Charming, his sister Camilla who is fun, his best friend, Dante is Violet’s closest friend and a scholar among other things – it will be interesting to see what happens with all these characters in the next book. I think the villain did pretty good in playing off of Violet’s insecurities and manipulating her that way.

I love the escalating tension between Violet and Cyrus, it’s off the charts because of their whole enemies to lovers/forbidden love kind of thing going on. Cyrus is a Prince and of course his father wants him to get married soon. Falling for and marrying the Seer he loves and hates is not an option and complicates everything between them. There is a lot of power play going on in the story which I enjoyed as well. The power play between Violet and Cyrus – she wants a part in the kingdom and gets it by being obedient to the King. Cyrus doesn’t believe in his father’s plans of conquering every neighborhood kingdom – he wants to be a fair and just ruler and doesn’t like that Violet has become his dad’s pawn in making things happen. Does Violet let all she’s worked for die because she’s falling for Cyrus or does she continue helping the king to keep her position secure? Does Cyrus let her go so that he can put his kingdom and people first?

There were some small issues I had with the story. World building was a bit confusing, or it needed more world building. There were some moments I was just confused about what was going on, maybe because it was moving from one fairy tale to another? Not sure. And the ending seemed rush – a lot happens with the Witch of Nightmares, Cyrus and Violet but I guess we will find out what happens in the next book. I hope there is more world building and less confusion in book two.

Why you should read it:

enemies to lovers, escalating tension between Violet and Cyrus
a dark fantasy fairytale – combines a few fairytales like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty
Violet is the antiheroine but I liked her morally gray character

Why you might not want to read it:

needs a bit more world building
not into antiheroines

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this dark fairytale fantasy, even though I did get confused at times. The tension between Violet and Cyrus was my favorite part since I love an enemies to lovers romance trope. I enjoyed Violet’s character as an antiheroine and look forward to seeing more growth from her. The other characters like Camilla and Dante help show off Violet with people she actually liked to be around and whenever they were together with Violet, I found their banter really fun. There are still a lot of unanswered questions I have after the story ended so I look forward to reading the next book.

📚 ~ Yolanda

BLOG TOUR} A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by. Natalie Caña | ARC Review

Welcome to the blog tour for A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by. Natalie Caña!

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: A Proposal They Can’t Refuse

Author: Natalie Caña

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 5/24/22

BUY HERE: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Publisher: MIRA

Categories: Contemporary, Romance, Fake Dating, Childhood Best Friends to Enemies to Lovers, 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!

“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” but make it Latinx when a Puerto Rican chef and an Irish American whiskey distiller are blackmailed into a fake relationship by their scheming octogenarian grandfathers.

Ain’t nobody got time for octogenarian blackmail, especially Kamilah Vega. Convincing her parents to update the family’s Puerto Rican restaurant and enter it into The Fall Foodie Tour is quite enough on her plate, muchas gracias. And with the gentrification of their Chicago neighborhood, the tour looks like the only way to save the place. Too bad her abuelo made himself very clear; if she wants to change anything in his restaurant, she must marry the one man she can’t stand: his best friend’s grandson.

Liam Kane spent a decade working his ass off to turn his family’s distillery into a contender. Now he and his grandfather are on the verge of winning a national competition. Then Granda hits him with a one-two punch: he has cancer and has his heart set on seeing Liam married before it’s too late. And his Granda knows just the girl… yup, you guessed it, Kamilah Vega.

If they refuse, their grandfathers will sell the building that houses their businesses, ruining all their well-laid plans. With their legacies and futures on the line, Kamilah and Liam plan to outfox the devious duo, faking an engagement until they both get what they want. But the more time they spend together, the more they realize how much there is to love. Soon, they find themselves tangled up in more than either of them bargained for.

Content Warning: Death, Illness

Kamilah and Liam were childhood best friends when a traumatic incident happened in Liam’s life and he started pushing her away. As adults they can’t stand to be around one another but everyone around them, especially their grandfathers, thinks they belong together. The scheming grandpas come up with a proposal – Kamilah and Liam have to get married or both grandpas will sell their family businesses, leaving the two with nothing. Kind of cutthroat of the grandpas if you ask me!

Kamilah is miss sunshine to Liam’s dark cloud. He’s the handsome, broody, anti-social grumpy one. Together the sparks fly and I couldn’t help root for them to have a happily ever after. Now there are other things going on in their lives. Kamilah is trying to figure out her life. She works hard at her family’s restaurant, a restaurant it seems her parents resent, but she wants to keep in the family. In fact she tries to save the restaurant all on her own and I thought it showed her love for her family but as the story continues we get to understand all the feelings the family has about the restaurant. As for Liam, he has PTSD from an incident that made him lose his father and Nana, and just trying to move on from that has been difficult. He pushes people away so he doesn’t have to feel that hurt again. Clearly these two have issues to work on and I love that the happily ever after included therapy and waiting to be better for the other person!

There were a few side characters I enjoyed a lot in this book. Kamilah’s brothers, Leo and Saint, who I hope get books of their own – Leo needs someone to take him down a peg or two haha. Kamilah’s best friend and cousins and Liam and his friends were fun. I loved that this whole cast felt like family, friends and a community. I love the puerto rican food that was mentioned and the whiskey distillery even though I don’t drink whiskey. It was lovely when they started being fused together. I also loved learning Irish American culture as well.

Honestly, I felt bad for Kamilah. Her family gave her such a hard time for her ideas. She did love her family, but they accused her of only loving herself. I just think they didn’t know how to communicate with one another. I thought it wasn’t fair that she got everyone’s anger, even if she was manipulated by her own grandpa. I know it’s supposed to be a funny story but there were some heavy moments and uncomfortable feelings when I was reading it. Like why are they pressuring her to get married and have kids? (Okay this definitely triggered me haha, I could relate big time.) I know some families believe in tough love (another trigger) but did she really deserve all of them abandoning her? It’s why I loved her brother Saint, he stayed by her side – I hope he gets a good love story.

Other than that, I thought Kamilah and Liam were cute together because they had their history. They get a happy ending, but also acknowledged they need to work on some things before saying “I Do.” I liked that.

Why you should read it:

childhood friends to enemies to lovers, fake engagement
the sense of community and family closeness, fun story
there is food and Puerto Rican culture, and Irish American culture reps

Why you might not want to read it:

maybe some triggering family moments

My Thoughts:

This lively story has a melting of cultures: Puerto Rican and Irish American. There is an abundance of family, friends, food and good times. But there are also some tough moments in this story especially when it comes to Liam’s past and the way with Kamilah tries to deal with her personal problems . The love story was cute though. Kamilah is the sunshine and Liam is the grumpy guy and I was rooting for their happy ending. I look forward to reading more from this author.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Natalie Caña writes contemporary romances that allow her to incorporate her witty sense of humor and her love for her culture (Puertominican whoop whoop!) for heroines and heroes like her. A PROPOSAL THEY CAN’T REFUSE is her debut novel.

Author website: http://nataliecana.com/services-and-pricing

Twitter: @NatCanaWrites

Tik Tok: @nataliecwrites

Thank You, Next by. Andie J. Christopher | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Thank You, Next

Author: Andie J. Christopher

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 6/14/22

Publisher: Berkeley Books

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Enemies to Lovers

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

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

Alex Turner is never The One–but always the last one an ex dates before finding love–and now she’s determined to find out why in this hilarious new rom-com.

Single divorce attorney Alex Turner is watching reality TV when she sees her latest ex’s new fiancé picking out her wedding dress. Yet again, the guy she dumped went on to marry (or at least seriously commit to) the next person he dates after her. Fed up with being the precursor to happily ever after, she decides to interview all her exes to find out why.

Up-and-coming chef Will Harkness mixes with Alex like oil and vinegar, but forced proximity growing up means their lives are forever entwined. When Will learns Alex and her friends are going on a wild romp through Los Angeles to reconnect with her ex-boyfriends, he decides to tag along. If he can discover what her exes did wrong, he can make sure he doesn’t make the same mistake with Alex.

On this nonstop journey through the streets of LA, Alex realizes the answer to her question might be the man riding shotgun…

Content Warning: Parental Neglect

This has so much potential but it fell short for me.

One thing I loved about the story was Alex is a very successful young woman. She knows what she wants in every aspect of her life but even though she’s successful in most aspects of her life, the one place she keeps failing at are relationships. It’s totally understandable though because she never had the best childhood and her parents were hardly there for her emotionally and physically. So Alex has some things to work through. She tries to contact a few of her ex’s to ask them what was it about her that made them find someone so soon (and settle down) after dating her.

Will is Alex’s grandmother’s, step-son…yeah so it kind of weirdly makes him her step-uncle but they are NOT related by blood at all. For me, that’s still family and I wouldn’t even think about it haha, but in this story Will and Alex are pretty much the same age and very attracted to one another. They’ve kept their hands off one another for awhile – Will got married and divorced, and Alex has been dating. Will has now sworn off marrying again and concentrating on opening his own restaurant.

I love the diversity in this book. Alex is African American, her best friend Jane is pansexual, Charlee – who is Will’s friend is transgendered. I loved the scenes when Alex was with her friends, they are a fun group. I like the sparks between Will and Alex.

My issues with the story came with the writing but I had to remind myself this is an arc. There were lots of technical mistakes, like names changing: Lexi and Alex were interchanged which was awkward because Lexi is Alex’s grandmother, and Lana’s husband name changed as well. Hopefully those are fixed. Also we are in Alex and Will’s head a lot, mostly Alex’s and sometimes it slowed down the story. The story felt clunky at times, it didn’t have an easy flow to it.

Why you should read it:

great diversity of characters, fun friend group
enemies to lovers
Alex character growth

Why you might not want to read it:

lots of typos that hopefully will be corrected before publication
story didn’t flow easily, slow in the middle of the story

My Thoughts:

Overall I thought this one has so much potential. I like that Alex is a very successful female but she’s having problems in her love life. It’s an eye-opening journey for her and she has to find some of her relationship attachment issues. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers trope and thought she and Will had lots of sparks. I mostly enjoyed Alex’s friends who were a fun group when they were together. There were a bunch of typos that need to be fixed and the middle of the story dragged a bit but I still was rooting for an Alex and Will happy ending. I look forward to reading more from this author.

📚 ~ Yolanda

How to Be the Best Third Wheel by. Loridee De Villa | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: How to Be the Best Third Wheel

Author: Loridee De Villa

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 5/3/22

Publisher: Wattpad Books

Categories: Contemporary, Young Adult, Teen Readers, Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Coming of Age

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

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

A clean teen romance comedy about figuring out where you belong when all the constants in your life begin to change.

It’s the last year of highschool, and everything has changed . . .

After spending summer vacation in the Philippines with family, Lara returns to school eager to catch up with her close knit group of girlfriends. But within minutes of reuniting with her friends, she learns that not one, not two, but all three of them are now in relationships that blossomed over the summer. And to make matters worse, Lara’s long time frenemy, James, won’t stop bugging her in class and eventually forces her into tutoring him everyday after school.

Surviving high school was never easy to begin with, but with occupied friends, a hectic Filipino family, and her annoying childhood enemy pestering her more than ever, Lara tries to juggle everything, while trying to figure out her own place in the chaos.

Content Warning:

First off, a warning – this book does not have a happily ever after. Also it’s definitely more for teen readers.

Lara is dealing with a lot of things, and most Seniors in high school do. Her best friends came back from summer break all with boyfriends, she’s tutoring her childhood crush but now enemy James, and she’s trying to decide what she wants to do after high school.

I love the diversity and how Lara is a second generation filipino immigrant that lives in Canada. She is fluent in Tagalog which is nice and we get the Tagalog translations in English as well. I’m Filipino American, but my family speaks Ilocano, not Tagalog so I needed those translations. I totally related to some of the Filipino family dynamics, and the mentions of food was fantastic. I love how she has that family bond and also the family enemy (her cousin, Eliza). Who doesn’t have family drama?

I thought Lara and James’ relationship was funny because honestly, Lara is so dramatic. But I felt that was perfect for her character, because I remember being a teenager, and how everything was a big deal in that moment of my life. As an adult reading this book, of course I had moments I was rolling my eyes and cringing but I had to remind myself how it was in high school. I feel like lots of teens will be able to relate to Lara’s worries about her path in life after high school.

Lara’s best friends in this book was always leaving her out to dry and that sucked. I get that dating also is such a big deal in high school as well but I felt bad for Lara. It did give her more time with James though but still, I felt bad when they kept flaking on her or lying. As for the ending – I am not someone into sad endings. Is it realistic? Sure, it is, but I want my romance stories to have happy endings even if it’s not realistic, so that didn’t work for me.

Why you should read it:

friends to enemies to lovers story
diversity, Filipino-Canadian rep

Why you might not want to read it:

cringe inducing, eye rolling moments
feels like it’s written for younger teens

My Thoughts:

I did enjoy the filipino representations and that’s why I requested this book. I feel like the story definitely fulfilled that part of my expectations with the Tagalog translations and familiar family dynamics I saw in Lara’s interactions. Those parts were great. I wasn’t really into her friends ghosting her all the time. The romance was funny and cute but there was no happily ever after, which left me sad – I want a romance to leave me happy. This one would appeal more to teens and younger who can relate to Lara’s coming of age challenges.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Well Met by. Jean DeLuca | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Well Met (#1)

Author: Jen DeLuca

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 335

Publication Date: 9/3/19

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Renaissance Faire, Adult Fiction, Enemies to Lovers

All’s faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author, Jen DeLuca.

Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon’s family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn’t have time for Emily’s lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she’s in her revealing wench’s costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they’re portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can’t seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.

Content Warning: Grief, mentions Car Accident

This book gave me all the feels! I can’t believe I waited this long to read it but I’m glad I finally pushed it up my TBR list.

There is so much to love about this story. The main character, Emily is a young woman who has moved in with older sister who was in a bad car accident and has to heal from a shattered leg. Emily helps with being a caretaker to her and her teenage niece. And when her niece wants to do the annual Renaissance Faire, Emily has to sign up as well. It’s not what she expected but it becomes a part of her, even though she doesn’t know where she will land after the fair ends.

I like Emily because she goes with the flow, and isn’t afraid to try things even though it seems not something she’d be into. She kind of threw herself into being a caretaker and then a wench at the faire and also, helping at the local bookstore. Also she doesn’t have her life put together – while helping everyone out, she’s trying to decide what to do with her future, or where she will live once her sister is okay on her own again. To top it off, she has self-esteem issues especially when it comes to guys and dating because of how things ended with her ex.

The romance is delicious because it happens to be with the Renaissance Faire’s director, Simon. Simon is an English teacher and often so put off by Emily or so she thinks. He’s more conservative and closed off than his friend, the kilt wearing Mitch! So right away, they do not hit it off but something happens at the faire…Simon plays the part of Captain Ian, and now all bets are off when Captain Ian and Emma the wench (Emily) get into their roles playing a hand-fasted couple. Talk about the tension between them! 🔥 And then when that tension finally breaks and they give in? Wow! I loved every bit of it!

Minor issues? Emily’s indecision about her feelings about Simon but only because it’s a defense mechanism for her. Her ex hurt her bad so she doesn’t want to be in any place or relationship where she doesn’t belong or isn’t wanted. She just needed to be sure Simon was sure about her. On the other hand, Simon has major insecurities too and isn’t the most social guy, like Mitch…so he jumps to some conclusions about Emily – and there you have miscommunication and misunderstandings.

This story had humor, family, friendship, grief, relationship issues, hot bedroom scenes, conflict and then a very happy ending. It has everything I want in a romance novel.

Why you should read it:

such a good romance with all the feels
the Renaissance Faire – makes me want to go to one
Emily’s story about family, friendship, love and self-discovery

Why you might not want to read it:

the only thing that may turn some readers off is the on/off indecisions of Emily about Simon – but the girl has issues to deal with because of her ex…so it’s totally understandable but if you lack patience, she might just annoy you lol…also Simon jumping to some conclusions because of his insecurities but for me it was minor

My Thoughts:

If you need a good romance book or want to read about one centered around a Renaissance Faire, then definitely read this book. It left me feeling so happy inside and that’s all I wanted. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the Book:

“I didn’t choose the wench life. The wench life chose me.”
– Jen DeLuca, Well Met

“The dead are held in such high esteem that we only remember the good things, and we not only forgive their faults but we forget them.”
– Jen DeLuca, Well Met

“Let us love you, and remind you that you’re worth it until you figure out what you’re going to do next.”
– Jen DeLuca, Well Met

“Above you are the stars and below you is the earth. Like the stars, your love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow.”
– Jen DeLuca, Well Met

Lord of Embers by. C.N. Crawford | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Lord of Embers (The Demon Queen Trials, #2)

Author: C.N. Crawford

Format: eBook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 298

Publication Date: 1/15/21

Categories: New Adult, Romance, Demons, Urban Fantasy

Once, I was a broke college student. Now, it seems I’m destined to rule as the Lightbringer–queen of the demon realm. Except I have competition in the form of Orion, the Lord of Chaos. Like me, he has been marked as a leader. We can’t keep our hands off each other, even if he swore an oath to kill me.

It seems we both want the same thing–the crown. And in this battle of wills, only one of us will be left standing.

Content Warning: Violence

This is the sequel to City of Thorns and I really enjoyed this installment. It wasn’t quite what I expected after how book one ended but I liked the direction it took.

So in this book Orion is convinced Rowan is Mortana reincarnated and he has a vow to kill Mortana. Rowan is pretty sure she’s not Mortana, but not totally 100%, she needs proof and finds it. Orion is still bent on ruling the demon realm but he does need Rowan’s help, at least that’s what she makes him think so she can stay alive.

I love Orion and Rowan’s interactions. They clearly can’t deny the attraction between them, but they also both have a desire to rule – so who is it going to be? There is tension and humor, which I enjoy. There’s also a spicy scene which was fun while it lasted.

I liked Rowan’s growth and transformation as she learns about who and what she is. I thought the introduction of Tammuz, Lucifer’s twin, was pretty cool. Tammuz thrives on chaos. She gets some time to train with him near the ending of the book and I think it will set up a good showdown between her and Orion in the next book. I love when they fight and now she can really try and kick his butt haha, or sleep with him some more. We also get to know more about Orion and his time in the dungeon.

Story-wise this took an unexpected turn into the Puritan era. But it makes sense since Orion and Rowan are demons, why wouldn’t their hell be in the time when Puritans were hanging women for being witches. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I thought it was interesting and it did help Rowan’s transformation into a stronger demon. There were some funny parts, especially with a miss Goody Putnam lol.

Honestly I didn’t care for the part in book one where they thought Mortana could be Rowan. I’m just glad that part got cleared up in this book because I was over Orion accusing Rowan of something she can’t even control – but I see why he wants to kill Mortana so…it was a dilemma for him for sure. But that whole mistaken identity thing was done in another series I read from this author, so I just want something new.

Why you should read it:

enemies to lovers
Rowan’s transformation and growth
demons hiding among Puritans was kinda funny

Why you might not want to read it:

less action than book one
he’s an incubus and she’s a succubus, honestly I wanted more action between them

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this one a lot and am so looking forward to see what Rowan does now after that ending!

📚 ~ Yolanda

Heartbreakers and Fakers by. Cameron Lund | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Heartbreakers and Fakers

Author: Cameron Lund

Format: hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 6/8/21

Publisher: Razorbill

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, High School, Fake-Dating, Enemies to Lovers, Coming of Age

From the author of The Best Laid Plans comes another fresh voiced, hilarious rom-com perfect for fans of Tweet Cute and The Rest of the Story.

Penny Harris just ruined her life.

As one of the most popular girls in school, she’s used to being invited to every party, is dating the Jordan Parker, and can’t wait to rule senior year with her best friend, Olivia. But when Penny wakes up on Jordan’s lawn the morning after his first-day-of-summer bash, she knows something went terribly wrong the night before.

She kissed Kai Tanaka.

Kai, her long-time nemesis. Kai, Olivia’s boyfriend. Penny can’t figure out what could have inspired her to do it–she loves Jordan and she would never hurt Olivia–but one thing’s for sure: freshly dumped, and out a best friend, the idyllic summer she pictured is over.

And despite the fact that Jordan seems to be seeking comfort (and a whole lot more) in Olivia, all Penny can think about is winning him back. Kai wants to save his relationship too, so they come up with a plan: convince their friends that they really do have feelings for each other. After all, no one can resist a good love story, and maybe seeing Penny and Kai together will make Jordan and Olivia change their minds.

But as summer heats up, so does Penny and Kai’s “relationship,” and Penny starts to question whether she’s truly faking it with Kai, if he’s really as terrible as she always thought he was, and if the life she’s fighting so hard to get back is the one she really wants.

Content Warning: Bullying

Penny is that girl who wasn’t always popular but once she became best friends with Olivia, the queen bee at school, she’s been her number two girl and she tries her best to keep her spot. This makes Penny a follower, and not the most likable character but she is relatable because she used to be the one who was bullied. It makes sense she doesn’t want to be bullied anymore but being friends with Olivia makes her a bully too.

As far as the romance, it’s an enemies to lovers, fake-dating situation where her enemy is the one who came up with the name she was bullied with! It’s natural that Penny hates Kai, but as they get thrown together, they finally get to know one another and in essence both of them was trying to survive being picked on in school. The story has a lot of high school drama but in a way I could understand Penny’s fears. Who likes to be bullied? No one.

Penny does grow by the end of this and I’m glad about that because it was hard to watch her try to find her way back to Olivia’s side when clearly Olivia is not a nice person and a worse friend at that. I like that Kai teaches her to let go a little and not be afraid to be herself. But it’s high school and people can change.

I do like how this author writes complicated and not automatically likable characters. They are flawed, make messy decisions, they are kids in high school who think everything matters in that very moment when as adults reading we know something bigger is coming their way. Bills. LOL…just kidding, but not kidding. 😅

Why you should read it:

fake dating, enemies to lovers
you like high school drama
realistic characters, even though not exactly likable, relatable high school situations

Why you might not want to read it:

you are not into the mean girls high school drama

My Thoughts:

Penny isn’t perfect, she is friends with a mean girl, and then she becomes one of the mean girls to survive. Penny and Kai’s enemies to lovers fake-dating situation helps them really get to know each other and pushes Penny to take a good look at who her friends are, and who she is without Olivia. Navigating high school is not easy and trying to figure out who you are in high school won’t happen overnight. Most people find ourselves after high school. This was full of messy high school drama, and as an adult I enjoyed it because it’s relatable. This one would appeal definitely appeal to teen readers.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the book:

“If you make a bad choice, you have to try to fix it. You have to put in the work to make things better.”
Heartbreakers and Fakers by. Cameron Lund

“The truth is high school is such a small blip on my timeline. Life is too short to waste the whole thing worrying.”
Heartbreakers and Fakers by. cameron Lund

“Who cares if people are staring? The fact is, they probably aren’t even looking my way at all.”
Heartbreakers and Fakers by. Cameron Lund

As If on Cue by. Marisa Kanter | ARC Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: As If on Cue

Author: Marisa Kanter

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 9/21/21

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Teen, Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Contemporary

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

A pair of fierce foes are forced to work together to save the arts at their school in this swoony YA enemies-to-lovers romance that fans of Jenny Han and Morgan Matson are sure to adore.

Lifelong rivals Natalie and Reid have never been on the same team. So when their school’s art budget faces cutbacks, of course Natalie finds herself up against her nemesis once more. She’s fighting to direct the school’s first ever student-written play, but for her small production to get funding, the school’s award-winning band will have to lose it. Reid’s band. And he’s got no intention of letting the show go on.

But when their rivalry turns into an all-out prank war that goes too far, Natalie and Reid have to face the music, resulting in the worst compromise: writing and directing a musical. Together. At least if they deliver a sold-out show, the school board will reconsider next year’s band and theater budget. Everyone could win.

Except Natalie and Reid.

Because after spending their entire lives in competition, they have absolutely no idea how to be co-anything. And they certainly don’t know how to deal with the feelings that are inexplicably, weirdly, definitely developing between them…

Talk about enemies to lovers….Natalie and Reid are straight-up hating one another. At least that’s how we see it through Natalie’s perspective. Natalie and Reid have been rivals since they both started being clarinet pupils under her dad’s tutelage. The competition between them became so fierce that it included pranks and then rules to curb their behavior. Now they are both in high school and their relationship is beyond tense.

I enjoyed how this story was written – it flowed so well and the characters were really fleshed out and strong. I loved Natalie’s friends, Henry and Fitz who are amazing. Natalie and Henry’s platonic best-friend relationship is super sweet and Fitz is just fabulous, bi and a fashion trendsetter. When Natalie’s in her core group, we see her shine even when she doesn’t feel like she has a voice. There is a lot of growth to her character especially when she is forced to turn the play she has written into a musical. She is pushed past her comfort zone, and becomes aware of how intense she can be. This whole venture also makes her confront the issues she has with her dad.

The part I had fun reading about was the making of the musical, Melted. We see all the hard work that these teenagers go through with making music, auditions, and just all the effort they put in because they love the arts (music, performing, etc…). I loved how the story progressed as we get to opening night.

I really connected to the message the author was trying to convey about Natalie not knowing what to do after high school. She’s still a Junior but already she’s wondering if pursuing a passion (for example the arts) and giving it your all is a bad thing because she sees her mom, a writer, struggle with writer’s block and the emotions of trying to put out work to help pay the bills. Her dad is a music teacher and that doesn’t pay well either plus all his time seems to be devoted to the band and Reid. Natalie weighs the options of pursuing a passion or doing what other people do and find something stable and play with your passion on the side. Everyone has their own path but Natalie really struggled with her vision of the future.

Triggers: microaggressions, antisemitism

I love an enemies to lovers romance, it’s my favorite trope but Natalie and Reid take it too far. I will say, Reid didn’t do anything for me in the beginning of the story, because I was getting Natalie’s side of this story. I did not like him and even blamed him for coming in between Natalie and her dad – I was wondering what was his deal? Like lay off the animosity buddy…but then we learn more about Natalie. She’s intense, she doesn’t listen to others and she distrusts Reid. Natalie does something in my opinion, that isn’t forgivable and the fact that Reid does forgive her…he must love her a lot. But I was not impressed with her actions, though I’m glad she fixed the problem.

The issue with Natalie and her dad is a big thing to Natalie and her dad seems oblivious. Again, I didn’t like how her dad seemed to say brush off her concerns. Natalie isn’t good at communication with Reid and her father. She just wanted her dad’s attention, outside of anything to do with the clarinet/band and I can see why Natalie hated Reid for that. Natalie had to do some serious soul-searching to do on the issue and tell her dad, which she eventually does.

When all is said and done and Natalie and Reid finally communicate is when they were the best together. The pranking, the miscommunication, the distrust caused some major problems between them to the point I thought they were not a good fit for one another. It caused great tension though which is a must in an enemies to lovers romance. I did enjoy the message about career paths and fighting for the things you love and believe in. My favorite parts were just reading about the whole crew trying to turn a play into a musical, that was fun! Overall, I enjoyed the story and read it in one sitting.

📚 ~ Yolanda