A Tempest of Tea by. Hafsah Faizal | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: A Tempest of Tea (Blood and Tea, #1)

Author: Hafsah Faizal

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 2/20/24

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Categories: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Peaky Blinders, Vampires, Heist

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

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.

Calling on some of the city’s most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.

From the New York Times–bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame comes the first book in a hotly-anticipated fantasy duology teeming with romance, revenge, and an orphan girl willing to do whatever it takes to save her self-made kingdom. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.

Content Warning: violence, blood drinking, fire, death

+ I love when a book totally catches me off guard and surprises me. This book was full of surprises! How do you combine King Arthur, Vampires and Peaky Blinders (never watched it though I’ve always wanted to) together and make it work? I don’t know but this author just did it! I also loved how she adds historical fiction to the mix as she covers the colonization of countries liked Ceylan (in our reality that would be Ceylon-now Sri Lanka). This story is set in Ettenia which I’m assuming is England. And the vampires are just a race of people that live among them. This book just had everything I wanted, things I didn’t even know I wanted in one place and I loved it all. There are a lot of twists and turns in the second half of the book and that cliffhanger ending left me wanting book two now.

+ I am in love with Arthie and Jin. I love their story, their friendship, their love for one another – even though this story had hints of a romance for Arthie (a love triangle even that never came to fruition-an no it didn’t involve Jin), the love between Arthie and Jin appeased my soul. I also loved that this was told in multiple POVs because Jin’s voice was important to this story. He is Arthie’s right-hand man and I loved that he was the lightness in their relationship. They are found family, they are to one another the siblings they never had, they are soulmates and I knew they would have each other’s back no matter what. Also, I need Jin to have a happy ending, that guy deserves the world!

+ Because this story is about a heist, there are other characters involved and part of the crew. Flick, Matteo and Laith. All of them intriguing and we do get Flick’s POV but not Matteo and Laith who are very intriguing and added to the story in various ways. I like how they all have complex backgrounds.

+ Arthie is a complicated character which I love. She’s had trauma and holds a lot of secrets, not only her own but she’s a phoenix who basically rose out of ashes. I love that she was smart, and still allowed herself to love (Jin and Spindrift) even though she doesn’t open herself to anyone else. She is flawed. I love that she is a business woman and she’s the leader of their crew.

~ I can’t call what was in this book a true love triangle. There is flirtation, there is desire that Arthie doesn’t want to explore because she is a person who is in control at all times. But I think it makes her mistrust even more heightened. She has a crew of people she doesn’t totally trust (except Jin) and her weakness was a good-looking mysterious man. She isn’t perfect, she can only hold so many of the right cards in her hand and I honestly loved every part of whatever romance was building for her because the tension between them was delicious!

~ I think Flick’s POV was the weakest and she seemed like the weakest link because she’s not like the rest. She grew up in luxury as a lady’s daughter but she has her own agenda. Out of all of them I felt like I didn’t trust her the most because all she wanted was to please her mother and she had such a shiny upbringing.

My Thoughts:

Why was I surprised that I loved this book? I loved the We Hunt the Flame series. The writing is so good, the slow burn in the romance is enticing and the relationships are heartfelt. Honestly, Arthie and Jin, they have my heart. It might be a slow build in the beginning as the pieces are set on the chessboard but I was riveted from the moment I started the book. Once the pieces started moving, it was a fun, twisty, emotional ride to the end. And then of course we get a crazy cliffhanger that made my jaw drop! I need the second book asap and this book solidifies that this author is a must-read for me.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Review | We Hunt the Flame ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

We Free the Stars | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

House of Flame and Shadow by. Sarah J. Maas | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, #3)

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Format: ebook (own)

Pages: 951

Publication Date: 1/30/24

Categories: Adult, Series, Romance, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fae, Sci-Fi

The stunning third book in the sexy, action-packed Crescent City series, following the global bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath.

Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back. Everything she loves is in Midgard: her family, her friends, her mate. Stranded in a strange new world, she’s going to need all her wits about her to get home again. And that’s no easy feat when she has no idea who to trust.

Hunt Athalar has found himself in some deep holes in his life, but this one might be the deepest of all. After a few brief months with everything he ever wanted, he’s in the Asteri’s dungeons again, stripped of his freedom and without a clue as to Bryce’s fate. He’s desperate to help her, but until he can escape the Asteri’s leash, his hands are quite literally tied.

In this sexy, breathtaking sequel to the #1 bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt’s world is brought to the brink of collapse-with its future resting on their shoulders.

Content Warning: violence

I had to process this book for a day or two and still there is so much to think about.

+ I have so many thoughts and let’s see if I can get to all of them. This is book three in the Crescent City series but if you’ve read Sarah J. Maas books then in this book you will find that all her books have interconnected in THIS one book. It’s wild, it’s crazy with the world-building – like I just want to see her white board with all the notes and all the lines connecting this character arc to this character…etc…it was pretty genius and maddening at the same time because if you don’t remember who is who from a certain book, you kind of have to wing it and go with the flow which is what I was doing since I did nor do a re-read at all before this book. But yes…the world-building is fantastic. Also, I was getting some sci-fi feels in this book because the Asteri being intergalactic parasites, definitely not what I was expecting!

+ With a world-building as large as this series and the other series combined since it did crossover here…there are SO many names to remember. I kept trying to figure who was who and why they were important in the series. 😅 I think I did pretty good considering how many characters there are. My favorite characters? Lidia/the Hind. Nesta and Azriel in their parts of the book were outstanding because I love them and ACOTAR is my first love compared to Crescent City so I loved seeing them in the book.

+~ My favorite parts of the book were when Bryce was with Nesta and Azriel. I loved everything to do with Lidia also! She is so badass. The ending had some pretty good action and something was finally happening against the Asteri. But books this large lose me in the middle, which kind of sucks. Act 1 was fantastic – I was so into it. Act 2, I was struggling through (this happened in the last book also)…seriously, my interest dropped when Bryce left Velaris. I could not for the life of me care about the wolves for some reason, and then Tharion? I don’t know what happened with him. I was like…can we go back to Velaris which made me acknowledge that my love for the ACOTAR series is way stronger than this Crescent City series.

+ I’m happy the “my mate” overuse was really cut down in this one. I felt like the romance really took a backseat in this one which was kind of nice? And that’s weird for me to say since with SJM books, the romance is what I’m usually there for. I did love Lidia and Ruhn’s story though there was a lot of drama between also but totally understandable after what they both went through. I think they deserved their own book!

~ Bryce was frustrating me throughout the whole book and I was questioning a lot of her decisions. When she asked something from Nesta I was like, no Nesta, don’t even entertain Bryce’s request because I didn’t even trust her lol. She was arrogant and I just didn’t like her. But after reading book two I think I knew I was just not a Bryce girlie. And also Bryce and Hunt do nothing for me! Maybe because their love is pretty set and there was nothing to really fix? That’s why I loved Lidia and Ruhn, because there was a love growing there and it was beautiful to see them find happiness together after the stuff they went through individually.

~ The way it’s written with it jumping from POV’s in one chapter, but not having a line or something indicating it’s switching to another POV kind of ruined the reading experience for me because I had to go back and see if I missed a section or something. I did read this as an ebook so I don’t know if I would have had that problem reading the hardcopy. I do feel like with it written this way it was building up suspense, which is great because this big chunky book needed to have something motivating me to read, but something to indicate a change in POV would have been just helpful! To be honest I skimmed some of the parts with Tharion, Ithan and the other boys because I was not interested or maybe I forgot who they were?

My Final Thoughts:

Could this have been made into 2 books? Yes…or 3? Make it a 6 book series! But for the most part I was entertained by the first and last parts of the book. The middle was where I struggled. I loved Lidia and Ruhn, they were my favorite in the book and of course, Nesta because ACOTAR is my first love. I didn’t care for Bryce at all. I will say I was amazed as usual by the world-building and cross-over. SJM always does a fabulous job luring us into these amazing worlds that she creates and having it cross over just makes it really cool. If you loved the series already then you will love this one. It’s not my favorite of her series so my rating may seem a bit lower and I think my expectations for this one was super high, especially after the long wait for the book, but I did enjoy the book!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Review | House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1) – 4 stars

House of Sky and Breath by. Sarah J. Maas | Book Review – 3.5 Stars

A Court of Thorns and Roses by. Sarah J. Maas {Goodreads rating: 4 stars at first read} – after a few re-reads over the years, I need to bump this to 5 stars

A Court of Mist and Fury by. Sarah J. Maas {Goodreads rating: 4 stars at first read} – after a few re-reads over the years, I need to bump this to 5 stars

A Court of Wings and Ruin by. Sarah J. Maas {Goodreads rating: 4 stars at first read} after a few re-reads over the years, I need to bump this to 5 stars

A Court of Frost and Starlight by. Sarah J. Maas – 4 stars

A Court of Silver Flames by. Sarah J. Maas – 5 stars

Throne of Glass by. Sarah J. Maas – 3 stars (surprising but I just thought this first was okay when it came out in 2012)

Crown of Midnight by. Sarah J. Maas – 4 stars

Heir of Fire by. Sarah J. Maas – 4 stars

Queen of Shadows by. Sarah J. Maas – 4 stars

Empire of Storms by. Sarah J. Maas – 4 stars

Tower of Dawn by. Sarah J. Maas – 2 stars (wow I did not like this book huh? lol - I wish I wrote reviews on Goodreads back then so I could remember why I didn’t like it!🤦🏻‍♀️. My guess is it was super long and by the 6th book and waiting for the book my interest had waned or I grew out of this series? Not sure but I do know I loved Manon. That’s all I remember lol.

Heartless Hunter by. Kristen Ciccarelli | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Heartless Hunter (#1)

Author: Kristen Ciccarelli

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 2/20/24

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult/New Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Witches/Witch Hunters. Magic

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

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

A steamy game of cat and mouse between witch and witch-hunter, played out against a backdrop of opulence, secrets, and bloody history.

On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can’t help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s Heartless Hunter is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch…is falling in love.

Content Warning: violence, blood magic, mentions of self harm, mentions of abuse, death, mentions of drug use

+ I went into this book not knowing what to expect and wow was I delightfully surprised at how engaged I was with this story. I loved the game of cat and mouse that Rune and Gideon play. Rune is a witch in secret and Gideon is a successful witch hunter. I didn’t want either of them to catch the either because I was rooting for them both at times – but they did entrap themselves with their attraction to one another which was intense. There was even a steamy scene between them which is why I mention this as a New Adult book because I did feel like the characters seem older.

+ I like how complicated this story was because of Rune’s background – she’s a witch and trying to survive by keeping that secret. She’s also the Crimson Moth, a witch going around helping other witches escape from prison. And then there is Gideon, who was abused by a which he had been in love with and when he set himself free and helped take down the witch Queens who ruled them, he became a changed young man – a hardened one. They both think they are doing their life’s purpose.

+ The twist in the story was so good, I only caught it 3/4ths into the book! I did not see it coming at all until it was too late but I love that it caught me off guard. I was so involved with Rune and Gideon’s game of cat and mouse that I didn’t question anything else happening around them.

+ The world building is great and I love the magic system. I like that we get the history of the Queens and the revolution. The killing of witches did get graphic especially when Rune recalls how her grandmother died.

+~ I personally love how this enemies to lovers, forbidden romance transpired. Gideon really hates witches and Rune really is trying to help any witch she can. I loved the cat and mouse but how could these two people ever be together? It seems doomed from the start because they are both pretending to get something from the other. There is a slight love triangle which some readers won’t like but I didn’t mind it because of what happens in the story. But Gideon is as hardened a character as I ever saw and with the way things end – is there a way the two of them could ever believe the other? But I so loved the way he softened towards Rune (even if it was at first pretend) and the things he did to woo her – I don’t blame her for falling for him!

My Thoughts:

I was really transported into this story and was riveted by the cat and mouse game between Rune and Gideon. I love the moments when they gave into what they were feeling but they have so much to work through. I love the world-building and the magic which was easy to follow. There’s a great tension that builds in the story because of Rune’s secrets, the cat and mouse game, the forbidden attraction and the twist in the story. I’m sad I have to wait for the next book!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Edgewood by. Kristen Ciccarelli | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Last Namsara by. Kristen Ciccarelli ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Destroy the Day by. Brigid Kemmerer | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Destroy the Day (Defy the Night, #3)

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Format: ebook (own)

Pages: 550

Publication Date: 1/23/24

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

Left for dead, but desperate to survive . . . they have one last chance to save their kingdom.

Prince Corrick is out of options. Held captive by the vicious Oren Crane, he’s desperate to reunite with Tessa, but will need to ally with the rebel leader Lochlan, who until now wished him dead. An unlikely but deadly pair, Corrick and Lochlan must plot their next moves carefully.

An island away, Tessa Cade is heartbroken and angry. Grieving Corrick, and unsure how to find a way back to Kandala, she doesn’t know who to trust. Until Rian—the man she trusts least—makes an offer: aid in a plot to finally oust Oren Crane and see what the future holds . . .

Meanwhile in Kandala, Harristan is dethroned and on the run. He’s struggling to unite the rebels in his fractured kingdom, but he finds support—and maybe more—in unexpected places.

Can Harristan be the king his people need? Can Corrick and Tessa find their way back to each other? As outside threats loom and the fires of revolution burn from within, time is running out to save their kingdom.

In the thrilling conclusion to the Defy the Night series, Brigid Kemmerer crafts heartrending twists and devastating turns that will keep readers breathless to the very end.

Content Warning: violence

+ I found this series addicting since book one and I think what makes it good are the characters! Yes, I was mostly reading it because of the romance between Corrick and Tessa but they are mostly apart in this book. And when I say apart…I mean up until the last few chapters of this book! But just because Corrick and Tessa weren’t together doesn’t mean there were not any meaningful relationships in this book. There are actually surprising friendships made along the journey of this story.

+ One surprising partnership in the story that was entertaining is Corrick and Lochlan – especially since they do not like each other. But being on the verge of death changes everything between them. Another pairing is Harristan and Quint which if I may say, was the romantic highlight of the story since Corrick and Tessa were apart. I loved that for Harristan and Quint. And lastly, Tessa and Rocco had to stick to one another.

+ There is a lot happening in this book with it being told through three POVs: Corrick, Harristan and Tessa. Everything is happening with the goal of all of them coming together in the end. There is action, there is danger, there are some plot twists.

~ I was intrigued by Rian in Defend the Dawn, he was mysterious and a little shady. He didn’t turn out so great in this book and to top it off was hardly in this book at all when he was mostly in book two. I was disappointed in his character because I thought there was potential there to make things interesting and not in a way where I wanted Tessa to be with him. I wanted him to have his own story and liked how he called out Corrick on Kandala’s troubles but in the end he was just a not so great guy. So if you loved Rian in book two – this book is not for you. Honestly this happened to me in her other series, Cursebreakers, where I loved book one and then things veered off the track I was hoping it would take and never did.

~ There is a new character named Ellmo and honestly…it made me think of Sesame Street Elmo all the time lol.

~ I don’t know if I love the ending, it’s bittersweet.

My Final Thoughts:

This book didn’t go in the direction I was hoping it would but it was still entertaining and the relationships are my favorite parts of the story. This wasn’t my book favorite of the series but this is a solid conclusion.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Defy the Night by. Brigid Kemmerer | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Defend the Dawn by. Brigid Kemmerer | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Curse so Dark and Lonely by. Brigid Kemmerer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Heart so Fierce and Broken by. Brigid Kemmerer ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Vow So Bold and Deadly by. Brigid Kemmerer | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Forging Silver into Stars by. Brigid Kemmerer | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Letters to the Lost by. Brigid Kemmerer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

More Than We Can Tell by. Brigid Kemmerer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dance of Stars and Ashes by. Nisha J. Tuli | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Dance of Stars and Ashes (The Nightfire Quartet, #2)

Author: Nisha J. Tuli

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 379

Publication Date: 2/16/24

Publisher: Second Sky

Categories: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

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

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

A love that burns brighter than starlight. A gift that could leave her world in ashes. It’s time for Zarya to release the fire within.

In the jeweled city of Dharati, Zarya found passion and adventure for the first time. A mysterious stranger named Rabin helped to free the power within her—a dark, ancient magic that should not exist.

Now, Zarya learns Rabin’s true identity. A warrior prince, born to rule, he is as deadly as he is beautiful. He’s also insufferable. Arrogant and superior, with dangerous secrets of his own.

Zarya wants nothing to do with him. Terrifying demons are gathering beyond the walls and Zarya’s friends are rushing to complete a ceremony that will protect the city. Her mind is fixed on saving her home and finding the origin of her magic.

But every discovery and every dream pulls her back to Rabin. Does an enchantment bind them, or is it pure desire? Will opening her heart give Zarya the power to turn back the demons, or will it let the darkness to devour her?

Content Warning: violence

+ I really wanted to read this book after the ending of book one: Heart of Night and Fire, mostly because what happens at the end of the book when Rabin makes an appearance. Rabin is Vikram’s brother and the guy who Zarya has been seeing in her dream forest (in her dreams). The tension between them was enticing and I wanted to see where it took them in book two. It’s a continuous slow burn, with lots of tension but we get rewarded with some steamy action by the end of the book – so I’m glad we didn’t have to wait until book three. There is some drama again between Rabin and Zarya at the end, so we will see what happens there in the next book.

+ I still find this world-building so fascinating especially with Amrita’s position as queen and basically the tree of life. I’m still very curious about her and Vikram and their special roles and rituals they have to do to keep the kingdom thriving. This story is filled with monsters and magic!

+ I absolutely love Zarya’s platonic relationship with Yasen. It’s become one of my favorite parts of this series! Yasen and Zarya have become best friends and with her past of growing up isolated from the world, you can tell their relationship is special to her. They also bring humor to the story because their exchanges are so funny.

~ There is still more drama Rabin and Zarya have to work through because of what is revealed, even though they are finally together. I believe in the next book we get to learn more about her father. There is a lot still that we don’t know about Zarya’s family background so it’s going to be very interesting I think!

My Thoughts:

This was a great sequel and I think I liked this book better than the first one because Zarya and Rabin get to interact in real life. There are a lot of steamy moments between them after the initial slow burn in the first half of the book. Also, I just love the friendship between Yasen and Zarya. Will definitely be reading book three to see if we learn more about Zarya’s father.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Heart of Night and Fire by. Nisha J. Tuli | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Trial of the Sun Queen by. Nisha J. Tuli | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rule of the Aurora King by. Nisha J. Tuli | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Endless War by. Danielle L. Jensen | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Endless War (The Bridge Kingdom, #4)

Author: Danielle L. Jensen

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 552

Publication Date: 11/28/23

Categories: Adult, Series, Romance, Fantasy

Newly crowned as king, Keris has watched powerless as his forbidden relationship with Zarrah is revealed. But when Zarrah is imprisoned by the Empress, Keris knows there is only one way to save her: to ally with the kingdom he nearly destroyed.

Imprisoned on the dreaded Devil’s Island, Zarrah faces two choices: prove her loyalty to the Empress who condemned her or die a traitor. Yet as she struggles to survive among violent prisoners, Zarrah uncovers a third path: a rebellion to overthrow tyranny entwined with a destiny she must fight to claim.

While the Empress plots a war with devastating consequences, Keris and Zarrah must find their way back to each other. Yet their greatest adversary is the fiery passion between them. Unless they overcome the bitterness of betrayal, their love will not be the bringer of peace but rather the fuel that turns the Endless War into an inferno.

Content Warning: violence, war, death, cannibalism

+ This is book four of The Bridge Kingdom series (and I didn’t know there is going to be six of them) but the world building is fantastic as always. And there is a lot of action that keeps the story tense and moving. This is also part two in Keris and Zarrah’s love affair. There is a lot of politics involved in this story.

+ I totally love when Lara and Aren make an appearance since they are my first loves when it comes to this series. It started with their story and it’s just great to see them again. We also get to see Keris and Lara’s relationship grow somewhat and I like that for them. I found Aren and Keris’ brotherly relationship pretty funny at times!

+ Keris and Zarrah are an enemies to lovers romance. But in this book they are apart for the most part and Keris has to make amends. They try valiantly I feel to figure things out between them with all the chaos going on around them and for the most part it’s a struggle for the both of them. But it’s undeniable these two love each other – it’s about trying to be ruler of their own kingdoms (who hate each other) and deciding who to put first that they have to figure out. It’s a happy ending though!

+~ Zarrah learns a lot truths about her family and she has to learn to come into her own as a leader. I think she does a good job at it by the end. But I do feel like Keris’ character came out stronger in this book. Not that they were competing…but sometimes they were because she had to show her people that she could be a leader for them. Keris is a natural leader and sometimes the people deferred to his guidance naturally and it was just interesting to see how Zarrah had to deal with that – since she loves Keris so much. He had to pull back and let her shine and she had to step forward and believe in herself.

~ I wish Keris and Zarrah was together more in the story but they both had their own things to figure out. There wasn’t too many spicy scenes between them because they are struggling with their relationship and there is so many other things going on. I love the political drama but I thought this had so much at times it was hard for me to keep focus – or it could be I didn’t find Petra’s obsession for Zarrah very interesting.

My Final Thoughts:

This is the perfect conclusion to Keris and Zarrah’s story. It is filled with lots of action, politics, relationship struggles, romance and just a tiny bit of spice. I loved seeing Lara and Aren make an appearance and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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

The Traitor Queen |Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book Review | The Bridge Kingdom ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gilded Serpent (Dark Shores, #3) | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dark Skies | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Book Review: Dark Shores ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ruthless Vows by. Rebecca Ross | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment, #2)

Author: Rebecca Ross

Format: ebook (own)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: 12/26/23

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Magic

The epic conclusion to the intensely romantic and beautifully written story that started in Divine Rivals.

Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre’s movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that’s unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor’s reign.

Since waking below in Dacre’s realm, Roman cannot remember his past. But given the reassurance that his memories will return in time, Roman begins to write articles for Dacre, uncertain of his place in the greater scheme of the war. When a strange letter arrives by wardrobe door, Roman is first suspicious, then intrigued. As he strikes up a correspondence with his mysterious pen pal, Roman will soon have to make a decision: to stand with Dacre or betray the god who healed him. And as the days grow darker, inevitably drawing Roman and Iris closer together…the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.

Content Warning: violence, war, death

I finally read the sequel and conclusion to Divine Rivals and here’s what I thought:

+ The writing is beautiful as ever, it flows, it’s magical – enchanting.

+ Love the addition of new character Tobias. I thought his interactions with Attie was cute. We get to learn more about Dacre and Enva in the sense that they finally come to life on the page and they talk.

+ I feel like this historical fantasy fiction works! It’s set in war-time, feels like the 1940’s, but has magic (ley lines, typewriter, and buildings) and Gods who are at war. And usually I would think that’s hard to pull off but for me it works really well in this story. It even gives that war movie romance – the couple is apart but have to do what they have to do wherever they are, they have to survive but also want to be together again.

+ Speaking of romance…Roman and Iris are beautiful together. I’m glad they found their way to one another. There were some beautiful quotes between the two of them.

Let me be your secret, then. Tuck my words into your pocket. Let them be your armor.”
-Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows

I would love to see your words catch fire with mine.”
-Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows

Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
-Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows

~ I didn’t love this as much as Divine Rivals but I loved it. I think because Divine Rivals has the rivals to lovers element and in Ruthless Vows they are just trying to survive and find their way back together. I loved their banter in the first book. But they are still a lovely couple and I was rooting for their love really hard.

My Final Thoughts:

This is such a beautiful duology! I love the writing, the magical feel of the story, the lovers torn apart but doing everything they can to find one another. It’s heartfelt and everything I could hope for in a sequel and conclusion.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Divine Rivals by. Rebecca Ross | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sisters of Sword and Song by. Rebecca Ross | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A River Enchanted by. Rebecca Ross | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book Review: The Queen’s Rising ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Somewhere in the Deep by. Tanvi Berwah | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Somewhere in the Deep

Author: Tanvi Berwah

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 1/9/24

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Categories: Young Adult, Thriller, Fantasy, South Asian

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

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

Seventeen-year-old Krescent Dune is buried under the weight of her dead parents’ debt and the ruinous legacy they left behind. The only way she can earn enough money to escape her unforgiving island is by battling monstrous creatures in an underground fighting pit. After a fight goes terribly wrong, she’s banned from the pits. Now hopeless, she is offered a deal: in exchange for the erasure of her debts, she must join and protect a hunting party for a rescue mission deep within the mining caves beneath the island.

Krescent is determined to keep her head down and fulfill her role as the dutiful bodyguard, even though she is trapped underground with her childhood enemy and a company of people who would gladly kill her if they knew who her parents were. As they come across creatures she believed only existed in legends, it becomes clear they are in far more danger than she could have imagined. But someone doesn’t want her to make it out alive. And she’ll have to figure out who before she’s left alone… in the dark.

From the author of Monsters Born and Made comes an action-packed South Asian inspired fantasy that will have your heart racing at every turn.

Content Warning: violence, killer insects

+ I read a book by this author last year and thought it was pretty good and this book is set in that same world. What I really enjoyed about this book is that it’s in the same world, so we get to learn more about it but it’s inspired by South Asia and I love that representation. I like that is it unique.

+ This has a lot of action. Kress is a fighter in the ring, but she has a bad reputation because of something her parents did. I love that she’s a strong character. Kress is an outcast but because she’s a fighter she gets chosen to go on this expedition deep underground. She is part of this expedition group of miners and other people but not everyone is trustworthy so there is a lot of tense moments underground with this group of people and monsters coming for them.

+ There is a little bit of romance going on with Kress and her best-friend, Rivan. It’s a friends to lovers situation so it takes them awhile to really admit their feelings but there is a lot of angst and longing in both but they are kind of stuck in a harrowing situation so it takes them awhile to figure that out.

~ I didn’t totally connect to any of the characters but I did still enjoyed the story. Would have loved to be more invested into the characters though but for some reason I just couldn’t.

My Thoughts:

I like the South Asian inspired setting and the action is great. I just wish I could connect to the characters so I could be invested in the high stakes of their situation but despite all that I did enjoy this story for the most part.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Monsters Born and Made by. Tanvi Berwah ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A Fragile Enchantment by. Allison Saft | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: A Fragile Enchantment

Author: Allison Saft

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 1/2/24

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, LGBT+

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

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

In this romantic fantasy of manners from New York Times bestselling author Allison Saft, a magical dressmaker commissioned for a royal wedding finds herself embroiled in scandal when a gossip columnist draws attention to her undeniable chemistry with the groom.

Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.

But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.

Transporting readers to a Regency England-inspired fantasy world, A Fragile Enchantment is a sweeping romance threaded with intrigue, unforgettable characters, and a love story for the ages.

Content Warning: self harm, alcoholism

+ Okay I said maybe I’m over historical romances, but I think if it’s a historical fantasy romance like this particular book then I’m not over it at all. I definitely like how this story had the drama of a gossip sheet (like Bridgerton), the balls, a royal wedding, a romance and a rebellion going on.

+ There’s magic in this book and Niamh’s craft is sewing. I thought it was pretty cool how she could create fashions that evoke emotions. Other characters have magic too like but not everyone has it. It definitely made the story feel enchanted with the element of magic that certain characters could wield.

+ This story has a strong cast of characters from the main ones Niamh and Kit to the rest of the group which consisted of Kit’s future wife, his best friend and his family. I like the LGBT+ representation, Niamh and Kit are both bi-sexual, and other characters are queer as well.

+~ Speaking of romance -I love a good enemies to lovers romance and there is a lot of tension between Niamh and Kit which for the most part I enjoyed. But there was something about their romance at times that frustrated me also maybe it’s the times he’s being rude – but his grumpiness is supposed to be attractive? I just felt like he was being a brat at times.

~ The political conflict in the book didn’t feel solved at the end, and honestly I think Jack and his wife could have their own book where they fall in love with one another and he figures out how to become a better leader.

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this book and loved that it was historical romance with magic elements I thought the writing was very lyrical and made the story enchanting.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A Far Wilder Magic by. Allison Saft | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hallowed Games by. C.N.Crawford | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Hallowed Games (#1)

Author: C.N. Crawford

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 410

Publication Date: 12/1/23

Categories: Adult, Forbidden Romance, Fantasy, Vampires

If he’s death, I crave oblivion.

I’m cursed to kill with a brush of my fingertips. My worst fear is attracting the attention of the kingdom’s magic hunters. Maelor is their mysterious, gorgeous leader–and my world falls apart when he learns my secret.

When he arrests me, my only hope is to survive a deadly competition, to win the mercy of our god. Strangely, Maelor is immune to my touch. Turns out, that’s because he’s secretly a vampire—lethally sexy, and dangerous as hell.

He’s as drawn to me as I am to him. Can this beautiful monster help me survive, or will our dark attraction lead me to ruin?

Hallowed Games is the first book in a new series of fantasy romance, morally-grey characters, and deadly trials: perfect A Court of Thorns and Roses and Serpent and the Wings of Night.

Content Warning: violence

I haven’t read a forbidden love story in awhile so this was interesting!

+ It’s forbidden! Maelor is the Raven Lord who is part of the society that is similar to a devout priest but in this story they worship Archon. Anyone with magic is killed so think – the Spanish Inquisition or witch trials, except with a few twists. And Maelor can’t control himself when he’s around Elowen – who’s magic is a death touch. Anyway it has the religious fanatics hunting the witches kind of situations.

+ I did like the twist in the story with Maelor and another character who is a bit suspicious, Sion. I’m not sure what’s going to happen there between the three of them but in this book it’s about Maelor and Elowen’s forbidden attraction which gets steamy.

+ It’s a quick read – not as much depth as I’d like, but it’s a story for easy reading and escape.

~ I just wanted more world-building. I love the vampire aspect of the story, just wanted more from some of the characters. Maybe it’ll get better for me in book two?

~ I hope this doesn’t turn into a love triangle! I mean I kind of giggled when Elowen was turned on by Maelor’s exposed clavicle! lol I was like, OKAY, that’s how it’s going to be. There is lots of angst and pining on both sides but I’m not convinced they are going end up together? I don’t know.

My Final Thoughts:

I kind of needed this one to get out of my reading slump. It was a quick and easy read, nothing to deep and fun because of the forbidden love and vampire elements. I did want a little more depth to the characters and some world-building but I’ll just take it as is and wait to see if it gets better in book two.