Nature of Frost by. Jus Accardo | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Nature of Frost (Omen of Ice, #2)

Author: Jus Accardo

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 363

Publication Date: 1/13/25

Publisher: Entangled: Teen

Categories: Romance, Fantasy, Young Adult

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

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

A dying kingdom on thin ice…

Not so long ago, druid Keltania Tunne thought she knew the world—and her place in it. Magic was all but dead, and the kingdom torn apart. Then she was sent to the court of the Winter Fae and charged with the protection of Valen, the icily arrogant prince who some believed would bring about the destruction of them all…

Instead, he brought magic.

The greed for magic nearly destroyed their world, and its return could plunge them all back into chaos—or unite the estranged fae courts…if they move quickly.

Now Keltania and Valen must navigate the temperamental fae, their insidious secrets, and an enemy who would cleave the kingdom in two in the name of vengeance—all the while hiding the truth of their connection.

Its magic. Its remarkable power. And its ability to crush their hearts in two.

But no one knows that Valen struck a secret bargain with their enemy…and soon everyone in the land will face the consequences.

Content Warning: Cursing

This is book two in the Omen of Ice series, but unfortunately I never read book one! I didn’t realize when I requested this book that it was the sequel so that’s my fault.

So not having read book one and jumping straight into book two, I was a bit lost. That’s when I realized my mistake. I pushed on anyway, hoping that eventually I would get the gist of what I was reading. From what I could gather, Valen is a reluctant leader, and I found his personality to be humorous, he had a dry humor. Tania, the druid, is someone he has a connection with, they can read each other’s minds and are attracted to one another but can’t be with one another. But they both work together to defeat their enemy.

I couldn’t quite connect to the characters because I didn’t read book one but I found the kelpie, Daroose, pretty funny. I did find the story moved quickly and had lots of action.

Final Thoughts:

For a sequel in a series I never read I think this was a solid book. I think fans of the first book will enjoy this conclusion.

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Yes No Maybe by. Jessica Sherry | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Yes No Maybe

Author: Jessica Sherry

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 330

Publication Date: 4/30/24

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Slow Burn, Chick Lit

Teacher and fix-it queen Rowan Mackey avoids attention. Afflicted with serious burns as a teenager, she gets too many unwanted stares already. Consequently, her difficult dating history has taught her to dislike romance, too. So, it’s no surprise when her boyfriend’s extravagant public proposal goes sideways.

Longing for a safe, quiet life with Dean and believing his “independent together” arrangement is her best hope for companionship and a family, Rowan buys the perfect little house to fix things.

Problem is… she shares a property line with Jack Graham, a bestselling romance writer and party-centric playboy, who quickly becomes her next door nemesis. He makes it very clear—he doesn’t want a new neighbor. But when clashes with Rowan end his year-long writer’s block, he must explore his creative fascination with his reluctant muse under atypical Neighbor. Engaged. Off-limits.

These opposites attract, forging a surprise connection. Boundaries vanish as tension rises between them, and they face emotionally charged choices.

Will Rowan risk her safe life with Dean for a chance with the grumpy playboy next door? And will Jack change everything to find the inspiration he craves with the one woman he shouldn’t?

Content Warning: grief, trauma, memories of assault

I picked this book to read for my Spell the Month tbr challenge because the title starts with a Y, so I can fulfill that letter for the month of January. And I was so pleasantly surprise with this book!

Rowan lives with mental scars but very physical ones too – which came from an incident from childhood. It puts some people off so she’s had to struggle with dating and just putting herself out there in general but I really liked Rowan. She’s a teacher, and you know how kids can be cruel but she shows throughout this story how tough she is and caring. I like how she willingly takes in a foster kid even when it’s a challenge. She’s strong, and generous and I like that about her.

Jack is her neighbor and he’s a playboy. He’s also a famous romance writer and at first they do not get along. But what I loved about this story is that we get to watch their relationship progress from enemies, to friendship and ultimately to lovers but it’s not a rush. It’s definitely a slow burn.

The found family scenario with Rowan, Jack and the neighbors was so cute and heartwarming. I love how they had a newsletter.

There was a lot of issues when it came to Rowan and relationships but it was totally understandable. Jack made a few mistakes trying to show her how he felt but I liked seeing what these two people do to make things work.

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this romance and I’m glad I picked it up even though I didn’t know anything about it or the author. I look forward to reading more books from her!

Book Links:

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Ruin by. Gillian Eliza West | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Ruin (The Infernis Duology, #1)

Author: Gillian Eliza West

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 388

Publication Date: 10/15/24

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, New Adult, Retelling of Hades and Persephone

Oralia Solis hasn’t felt the touch of another in 245 years. Not without them crumbling to ash at her feet. Cursed by the bite of a daemoni, she has been sequestered away for the greater good of Aethera by her adopted father, King Typhon.

King Renwick rules the rival kingdom of Infernis, the land of the dead. When Oralia flees the palace of Aethera after her power is let loose with deadly results, he recognizes her potential as a weapon and aids her escape.

Oralia finds herself the prisoner of the man she has been taught to fear most, and Renwick is surprised to find there is more to this princess than her untamed powers. Despite the gulf of secrets and magic between them, Renwick can’t deny the pull he feels towards her, and Oralia struggles to resist the one person who cannot only survive her touch, but craves it.

As Oralia uncovers the truth of her parentage and masters her magic, she will discover that the power to raze or save either Aethera or Infernis lies in her hands. War between the two kingdoms looms and she must decide who she can trust and which she wants more: power or love.

Content Warning: violence, death, grief

This is a retelling of Hades and Persephone, one of my favorite mythologies and I think it’s done well with some minor issues.

I found the story-telling immersive with good, easy world-building. It was easy to follow. Oralia has been fed a story about the Under King and how evil he is. She believes he plays a role in her mother’s death. King Typhon has been her guardian and the only father she’s only known but when she acquires dark powers which basically allows her to kill with a touch that leaves her living a life of longing, pain and never feeling like she belonged.

When I realized this was another story about a female main character who can’t touch anyone, I went into this apprehensive because it’s not my favorite trope and add to that the Under King has “shadows”, another one I don’t favor. I was going in thinking I was not going to like this book. But I was proved wrong!

I think what I mostly enjoyed about this book was the love story, which is a slow burn, but then it gets spicy. And yes that’s usually a formula for romantasy books but this one didn’t fall into the fated mates category that I sometimes dread, but actually was two gods, both who have trauma, falling in love with each other. I like that the love is shown from both sides. I like a man who isn’t afraid to say and show how he feels. At times the story even gave me Beauty and the Beast vibes. Anyway, I found Oralia and Ren’s love story to be very beautiful.

My issues? The word “sigh” was used a lot! Characters were sighing so much in one chapter that it stood out to me and unfortunately made me aware of the word each time I saw it throughout the book! Also, the beginning felt slow but I think that’s just because it was the world-building being laid out.

Final Thoughts:

I had some minor issues but overall I read this in two days. My favorite thing about this story was the romance. I love a Hades/Persephone retelling and this one was slow and spicy but still romantic. I’ll definitely be reading book two!

Book Links:

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Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue by. Kate Pearsall | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue (Bittersweet in the Hollow, #2)

Author: Kate Pearsall

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 1/7/25

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Categories: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult, Paranormal, 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 G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A beautifully dark YA set in Appalachia tinged with magic, mystery, murder, and romance. For fans of House of Hollow and Wilder Girls! As Caball Hollow slowly recovers after a tumultuous summer, the James family must also come to terms with their own newly revealed secrets.

18-year-old Rowan James has spent her whole life harboring unpleasant truths—that’s what happens when you can smell people’s lies—and building walls around herself to block them out. Like her younger sister, Linden, who can taste the feelings of others, Rowan has long resented her gift, which has taught her that everyone lies and no one is who they seem to be. So when her old nemesis, Hadrian Fitch, the biggest liar of them all, shows up on her front porch—bloodied, broken, and asking for help only she can give—her first instinct is distrust. But something new is stalking the Forest that surrounds Caball Hollow.

Now things are disappearing. At first, it’s small stuff—like letters, photos, and keys. But then, Rowan notices people around her are losing their memories. And when the body of a neighbor is found in the middle of town, Rowan knows there’s a link between this death and all the events disturbing the Hollow. Can she find what—or who—the link is before it takes another life?

Content Warning: violence

I really enjoyed Bittersweet in the Hollow, the first book in this series. I love the James women!

We are back in Caball Hollow which is in the Appalachia mountains of West Virginia. It’s an eerie small town and the James women history with witchcraft, the bone tree, the Moth-Winged man stories and now sightings of the Wampus Cat just adds to it all. I enjoy the lore of the James women and the atmosphere of the setting.

I feel like this book is way more atmospheric than book one and much more creepy. Rowan, one of my favorite of the James sisters, because of her fiery personality, she is restless but she finds her calling when she is forced to volunteer for the Forest Service and she is one brave young lady. She is alone in the forest except for basically a treehouse and a walkie-talkie. For someone young, she’s really responsible and doesn’t complain about things, which I love about her.

The mystery about community members missing items and essentially maybe missing parts of themselves is what brings Rowan and Hadrian (the Moth-Winged Man) together. Between these two and their attraction to one another, we learn more about the forest, the Otherworld, the bone tree, and what would happen if the bone tree died. I also loved the storyline about Zephyrine who is Gran’s lost sister.

I do feel like this book was help transitioning to what’s going to happen with book three and so I feel like we didn’t get to know Rowan as much as I wanted. We were in her head a lot which is great but I wanted to see her interact more with her sisters and Hadrian. I loved her scenes with Hadrian but I love them so much I wanted more.

My Thoughts:

This is a great sequel and I can’t wait to read more about the James sisters and Caball Hollow!

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Bittersweet in the Hollow by. Kate Pearsall | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Starlight Heir by. Amalie Howard | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Starlight Heir

Author: Amalie Howard

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 1/5/25

Publisher: Avon

Categories: New Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Romantasy, Series

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

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

A bladesmith with the power of the stars in her blood and a prince with a dangerous secret will fight to save their kingdom in this spicy and spellbinding romantasy inspired by Persian and Indian mythology—perfect for readers of Sarah J. Maas and Thea Guanzon.

To save the realm from eternal darkness, she’ll have to choose between the truth and the lie—stand and fight or kneel and die.

“His Imperial Majesty, King Zarek requests your presence as his esteemed guest.”

When the gold-dusted court invitation arrives at Suraya Saab’s forge, she believes it’s a joke. Nobles might seek her skills as a bladesmith—one of few who can imbue her work with precious jadu, the last source of magic in the realm—but she has no qualifications as a potential bride for the crown prince. Still, the invitation is the chance at adventure, and the means to finally visit the capital city her late mother loved.

But what awaits her in Kaldari is nothing she could have imagined—and fraught with danger. It’s not the crown prince, but his impossibly handsome, illegitimate half-brother, Roshan, who draws her interest…and her ire. The invitation isn’t a quest to find a suitable bride, but a veiled hunt for the starbringer—a girl rumored to hold the magic of the stars in her blood. And across the city, unrest is brewing between the noble houses and the rebel militia.

When the rebels carry out a brutal strike, Suraya and Roshan find themselves on the run, trying to deny their simmering attraction and the knowledge that Suraya herself might be the starbringer. But Roshan is hiding secrets of his own. And with no control of the power that seems to be stirring within her, Suraya has drawn the attention of the old gods themselves…and the interest of one dark god in particular might be the biggest threat of all.

Content Warning: death, violence, war, profanity

I was stunned by this book cover and had to request it. Here are my thoughts:

This book was a wild ride. I like the world-building and the mythology about stars and the gods. I think there is more to explore in this world but in this book there is magic, runes, prophecy, and chiromancy. I really enjoyed all the aspects of the world-building.

Suraya is invited with a bunch of girls to the palace in Kaldari because Prince Javen is looking for a wife. So this reminded a bit of the story The Selection, but then the story takes a turn for something different. I found Sura to be a fiesty, headstrong, but funny character. Her relationship with her best-friend Laleh is sweet and funny. And when she meets Roshan, their friendship grows as well, but into something way more.

The romance is spicy and their chemistry is fun but I feel like book two will be taken into a new direction. Suraya and Roshan’s romance is really sweet, not much conflict and they make a good couple except for some trust issues.

This story is filled with politics and Suraya gets caught in the middle of it because the powers that have manifested inside of her. She has to learn to control her powers and figure out what her role is with everything going on around her. There is a lot of action and it especially gets wild at the end!

I did have some issues with the story. I don’t mind profanity, but there were times the characters had modern speech and that threw me off a little. Also, there is a character, who is very mystery and we only get a few scenes of him. I know he will probably appear more in book two, but it was kind of maddening not knowing who he is and how he ties into everything. Also, I felt like Suraya’s talent as a blacksmith wasn’t really a focus of the story and I’d have liked to see her use that talent more. At times I felt like the story was all over the place.

My Thoughts:

I had some issues with this story and thought at some moments too much was going on, but overall I was entertained. I enjoyed the romance, the spice, the world-building and am looking forward to see what will happen in the next book.

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Book Review | The Beast of Beswick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Better Than Revenge by. Kasie West | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Better Than Revenge

Author: Kasie West

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 12/31/24

Publisher: Delacorte Romance

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult

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

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

A swoony new romance from the author of Sunkissed! When her football-player boyfriend and now ex lands the podcast job she’s been dreaming of, a girl takes matters into her own hands by enlisting the help of his nemesis to get revenge.

Seventeen-year-old Finley has only ever had one to become a famous podcaster. This includes coming up with the perfect pitch to land her on her school’s podcast team. But when her football-obsessed boyfriend, Jensen, decides to also try out—and uses her idea—she’s left confused and betrayed.

Determined to get back at him, Finley and her friends try to find the perfect revenge scheme, but quickly discover that Jensen is almost-impossible to best. Keyword, almost.

By chance, Finley discovers a knack for kicking and decides to take Jensen’s spot on the football team. To help her train, she recruits Jensen’s cute but conceited nemeses, Theo. Soon the two discover that their connection runs deeper than football. But Finley can’t let herself get distracted, and Theo has secrets of his own. Is true love really better than the perfect revenge?

I haven’t read a Kasie West book in awhile! Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

+ Finley is out for revenge because he boyfriend took the podcast spot at school that she was trying for. I didn’t blame Finley at all for her revenge plot because her boyfriend, or should I say ex, was really a jerk. Throughout the whole book he was taking her ideas, making her feel like she wasn’t good enough and that sucked a lot. But I liked her journey with trying to figure what she wanted to do after her dreams were crushed and making things right in the end.

+ One of the cutest things in this story though is Finley’s relationship with her grandmother who has the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s. Finley does a podcast interview with her throughout the story and I love how it’s how she bonds with her grandmother and shows off her talent with podcasting and interviewing people.

+ Finley’s friends are really the best. They are with her even when this revenge plot goes into uncharted territory and when she messes up sometimes they don’t shut her out but they work it out. I loved Max!

+ The romance between Finley and Theo (her ex’s rival) is really cute. Theo is the popular guy with a reputation. Theo and Finley have really good chemistry when it comes to being rivals, then friendship and then into a romance. I like how they pushed one another to be better. I thought the way it paralleled somewhat with her grandma’s romance story was super cute!

Dislikes:

~ I did not like Jensen. And Finley wasn’t perfect, especially with her desperately wanting to get back at him so bad – but I can understand where she is coming from. Jensen, not so much, he was just a jerk.

Final Thoughts:

This story has heartfelt moments between family and friends and there is a cute romance Theo and Finley. It’s a quick read and teens and young adults will enjoy this one, especially if you have read other books by this author.

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Book Links:

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Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Maybe This Time | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Dating and Dragons by. Kristy Boyce | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Dating and Dragons

Author: Kristy Boyce

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 12/31/24

Publisher: Delacorte Romance

Categories: Romance, Young Adult, D&D, Contemporary

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

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

From the author of the nationally bestselling Dungeons and Drama comes another gaming romance that’s sure to win you over!

After moving to a new high school, Quinn is desperate for friends, so she joins a D&D group with their own livestream and serious rules—most no dating fellow party members.

But when sparks fly with a cute but irritating player, and ex-friends from an old campaign start stirring up trouble, she’ll need to figure out where her loyalties—and heart—lie beyond the game.

Content Warning: bullying, cyberbullying

I LOVED Dungeons and Drama, and so I though I’d read this one by the same author. Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

+ If you like Dungeons & Dragons (the game), you will probably enjoy this book. I’m neutral about it. I loved it in the previous book because it combined the game and the drama kids. I think this one is just most about D&D, which gives me more insight into the game.

+ The romance is cute, Quinn has joined a D&D group but one person in the group, Logan, doesn’t seem to want her there. It’s only because he doesn’t want his attraction to her to disrupt the group. Also Quinn is trying not to let her past haunt her.

+ The friend group was fun and I thought Quinn’s grandma was quite a personality!

Dislikes:

~ I’m an older reader, so I might just be too old for this kind of book now but there were some angsty, dramatic stuff that made me laugh. This one is definitely for the teen readers!

~ I thought it was interesting how for the most part the attraction is held back but when they couldn’t fight it anymore, Logan was saying some heated stuff and I thought, whoa this guy is 16? That was a little off to me.

Final Thoughts:

Can I just say I love whoever did the book cover for this book and the last one? This is what some of the adult romance books need for their cover art, especially when they do the cartoonish designs. Overall, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I loved Dungeons and Drama but I think teen readers will really like this one!

Book Links:

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Other Books I’ve Read By This Author:

Dungeons and Drama by. Kristy Boyce | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Song to Drown Rivers by. Ann Liang | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: A Song to Drown Rivers

Author: Ann Liang

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 325

Publication Date: 10/1/24

Categories: Historical Fiction, Romance, Politics

Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic historical fantasy about womanhood, war, sacrifice, and love against all odds.
Her beauty hides a deadly purpose.

Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue—convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within.

Trained by Fanli in everything from classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods.

Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the farther she and Fanli have to fall—and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.

Content Warning: violence, death

I’ve heard lots of good things about this book so when I saw it on KU I had to read it.

This is a really fascinating historical fiction story about Xishi, one of the most beautiful women in China, and I had never heard about her and her legendary beauty but I was engrossed with this tale.

Xishi is telling this tale about how she has had a rough childhood because of the war between the Yue and Wu. And we learn she is the most beautiful girl in the village and that draws the attention from a military advisor from the Yue side. They want to use her to infiltrate the Wu kingdom, make the king fall so deeply in love with her that they won’t know what hit them when the Yue attack. But can she do it? This girl from a lowly village with the most beautiful face?

I thought the training part of the book went super fast and wish it was more detailed. I wasn’t confident in Xishi’s skill to woo a king at the end of her training. At times I felt her character was so weak, I wasn’t sure how Fuchai would become obsessed with her, but he does. She must be that beautiful but I wanted more from her personality. Also I felt like Zhendang’s story fizzled out too fast – she poses as Xishi’s lady’s maid but I felt like she barely had a role when they are at the Wu’s.

The romance that built between her and Fanli was filled with so much tension, angst, longing even if they don’t have many scenes together. Maybe it’s a bit of insta-love but I don’t mind it with how things were taking place for Xishi.

And even though King Fuchai of the Wu was the enemy I liked how he and Xishi interacted with one another. She had to pretend to like him but I think eventually she did, at least as a friend. It was just sad all around how everything ended but I love how this story showed how war is something created by the powerful and everyone else is a bystander and gets caught in the crossfire.

Quotes from the Book:

“When men say they want a lover, what they often mean is they want a mirror; they wish to see themselves reflected back at them in the best light.”
Ann Liang – “A Song to Drown Rivers”

“The men will fight for their thrones and their power and their legacies, but to them we are nothing more than crickets and ants, insignificant, expendable.”
Ann Liang – “A Song to Drown Rivers”

Final Thoughts:

This story is tragic but so compelling. I love how the story was told and how everything unfolded with some twists and turns that I was not expecting. At times I did want more from the characters and the political drama but it was still entertaining. The bravery of Xishi to basically go into a lion’s den to try and take down the opposition was inspiring but her realization who the true enemy was came too late. The love story is filled with such longing – oh the heartbreak! I thought this was a great read and look forward to reading more from this author.

Book Links:

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Not Here to Be Liked by. Michelle Quach | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Not Here to Be Liked

Author: Michelle Quach

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 9/14/21

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, High School, Feminism

Emergency Contact meets Moxie in this cheeky and searing novel that unpacks just how complicated new love can get…when you fall for your enemy.

Eliza Quan is the perfect candidate for editor in chief of her school paper. That is, until ex-jock Len DiMartile decides on a whim to run against her. Suddenly her vast qualifications mean squat because inexperienced Len—who is tall, handsome, and male—just seems more like a leader.

When Eliza’s frustration spills out in a viral essay, she finds herself inspiring a feminist movement she never meant to start, caught between those who believe she’s a gender equality champion and others who think she’s simply crying misogyny.

Amid this growing tension, the school asks Eliza and Len to work side by side to demonstrate civility. But as they get to know one another, Eliza feels increasingly trapped by a horrifying realization—she just might be falling for the face of the patriarchy himself.

Content Warning: misogyny, bullying, sexism

Eliza has being Editor in Chief for the school newspaper, the Bugle, in the bag…or so she thought. Plans change when Len challenges her for the spot and wins.

Eliza’s a pretty strong character but not really likable. She kind of has tunnel vision when it comes to the Bugle – her whole life is about the Bugle. Eliza marches to the beat of her own drum. She is tenacious and doesn’t back down even when bad things happen, which I loved about her but she definitely had flaws. It’s nice that she represents the immigrant family and I like how it showed how children of immigrant parents they have to do things like help their parent with filling out forms or making phone calls because of the language barriers. I could relate to some of that!

The romance is very interesting. I can’t say I loved Len at first but I actually like how he calls Eliza out so many things. Both Len and Eliza had imperfections which I liked a lot and it’s very much a rivals to lovers trope but I loved that both of them weren’t totally likable – but they still made a cute couple by the end of the story.

Feminism, and sexism is a main theme of the book and though Eliza’s stances are strong, I thought it was interesting how different situations start too complicate her original feelings on these issues. I do wish she could have avoided that conflict with her best friend by just being honest.

Quotes from the Book:

“Because everyone loves a girlboss until she tries to tell you what to do.”
Michelle Quach – “Not Here to Be Liked”

Final Thoughts:

The more I learned about Eliza and Len, they grew on me and I was rooting for the romance by the end of the book. I like how the story touched on feminism, sexism and being a child of immigrant parents. I thought this was an entertaining story.

Book Links:

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Blood of the Gods by. Sapir A. Englard | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Blood of the Gods (Cloak of the Vampire, #2)

Author: Sapir A. Englard

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 315

Publication Date: 11/19/24

Categories: New Adult, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal

From the creator of the Millennium Wolves series comes the heart-stopping sequel to Cloak of the Vampire, the epic romantasy set in a brutal world of bloodthirsty and power-hungry vampires.

Aileen Henderson didn’t choose to die. That choice was stolen from her, brutally, at the hands—and lips—of a monster. With a singular kiss, Lord Ragnor Rayne condemned the twenty-one-year-old to an eternity she never wanted. And a future she refuses to accept.

Despite the fury now coursing through her veins, Aileen fights the pull of attraction to Ragnor, a need with a will of its own. But now, she’s determined to make her way without the vampire lord’s help.

Carving out her new existence, Aileen finds allies, even family, among the ruthless and competitive vampire leagues. But untold dangers abound, and soon, Aileen encounters new and more evil monsters.

When ancient, all-powerful gods dredge up nightmares from her past, Aileen discovers she has an important role to play in this world. And if she can learn to control her powers and her desires, she may find a way to survive both her enemies and Ragnor Rayne.

Content Warning: violence, death, mentions of rape and child abuse

This story takes on a turn from vampire lore to the Morrow Gods and Children of Kahil which is something mentioned in book one in connection to Aileen’s background. But that’s not the only part of the world-building opening up. We learn more about the Jinn and I believe the seraphim (angels) are mentioned as well but I think that will be explored more in book three.

As far as the story goes – Aileen goes to a new league and at first she seems like it’s an okay place to be, except she finds her new lord, Atalon, is not as benevolent as he seems. We do get more information of Aileen’s upbringing and it is dark. Makes me sad and angry for her child-self that she was exposed to such depravity by her father.

The romance between Aileen and Ragnor hits a rough spot because he’s let her go to Atalon but wants her back. She wants to make Ragnor pay but she can’t resist him so it’s predictable and I wasn’t really invested in their romance during this story. I was much more interested in the new characters being introduced and the world-building opening up. The spice is there again but I don’t know, I just don’t connect to their relationship. But Ragnor being a vampire and Aileen being who she is seems like it’s going to be complicated for them to be together.

Final Thoughts:

I did like how the world opened up but I didn’t feel invested anymore in Aileen and Ragnor’s romance. I think I can figure out what will happen from here at least with their romance. I am curious to see what happens with the world-building in book three but I’m not sure I’m eager to read it. It might be one of those books I’ll wait to read and pick up if I don’t have anything else to read.