Most nights, I dance and laugh with friends till the morning birds start to sing. But then disaster strikes.
A sinfully sexy angel strides in to my favorite dance hall and compels me to work for him–in Hades Castle. Sure, I always wanted to see the inside of the ancient fortress that looms over the city. But the fallen angel is a brutal tyrant–and I think he killed my sister.
Now, he wants me to pretend to be his wife. Instead, I plan to assassinate him. Too bad the only way to kill an angel is to seduce him. And the sensual charms of the fallen will make it hard to stay on task.
But this is a battle, and he’s my beautiful enemy. We are fighting with weapons of desire, and we’re both at risk of losing ourselves in this war.
In this first book, Fallen, we get introduced to Lila a poor thief who is just trying to survive and Samael, basically a fallen angel – but the Angel of Death. He hires Lila (who poses as someone else) to be his wife – he needs to marry a mortal to be king of the fallen angels in Dovren. But there is a group of rebels trying to take him down and end the angels’ reign in their kingdom. What side is Lila on? Clearly the human/rebel side and she tries to find ways to actually take Samael down.
This was a super quick read – Lila seems like an interesting main character, at times she can call some powers to her but there is no indication that she is a fallen angel or a demon. Samael is all death – many times we are reminded looking upon his TRUE face would cause people to lose their minds and it’s why he wears a cowl. Of course Lila can look at him straight on. They are both attracted to one another because she’s got a nice body and Samael is an angel and apparently they are super hot even though totally deadly. I think it was a solid start to a series and it did make me curious about the fallen angels and what Lila’s powers could be.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title: Rapture (Hades Castle, #2)
Author: C.N. Crawford
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: 244
Publication Date: 1/18/21
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Categories: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Synopsis:
The angel of death locked me in one of his castle rooms, surrounded by books and delicious food. Not bad, right? Except for the loneliness, and the lust-fueled dreams that torment me every night. Specifically, dreams of Samael. And did I mention a psychotic ghost keeps trying to kill me? Because no one else believes me about that.
Now, I’m desperate to get out of the castle and hunt down the murderous Free Men who led to my imprisonment. Samael wants to destroy them, too. We have the same goal, but don’t trust each other. When distrust shifts into passion, it only makes things more complicated.
Despite what we feel, we’re destined to be enemies. If we can’t rewrite our fates, we will lose each other forever–and one of us will end up dead.
Another quick read – I felt like this book could have been split with the first and third and it could have been a duology. This one is shorter than the first one! The story starts off where it last ended in book one, Lila is imprisoned in a tower because she tried to kill Samael. She feels more of the Raven King’s power and yes there is a whole back story about Samael’s life before falling, apparently he was married to a demon named Lilith. We learn that Lilith has her own backstory with the Raven King and they are tied to Lila – hence why Lila has nature powers. There is more attraction between Lila and Samael and things get heated between them even though she tried to kill him. He doesn’t trust her, but he’s falling for her. I did enjoy learning more of the back story of some of the characters but I just wish it wasn’t so short. It would be nice to get to know more fallen angels because so far there is only three in this series that we have met. Because it was so short I immediately read the next book.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title: Possessed (Hades Castle, #3)
Author: C.N. Crawford
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: ??
Publication Date: 4/21/21
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Categories: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Synopsis:
I’m struggling with my dark side–the demon within me–and only Samael can help me. He has decided we’re dangerous for each other, but I know we need to join forces. If we can’t defeat the Free Men together, I will lose myself to the demon within me, and a darkness will spread across Albia.
Lila is possessed by Lilith’s spirit and the rebels have a book that can control that spirit. What they want is for Lilith to end Samael and the angels’ rule. But Lila/Lilith is remembering a lot of her past and she also remembers how humans tortured her in her past life. Lilith also remembers why she hates Samael and though Lila doesn’t, Samael decides they are bad for one another. Except they can’t stay apart so they give in to their needs and Lila/Lilith helps Samael defeat the Free Men. I think this was a solid ending to a story that could have maybe be just one book or a duology. I read the three books in one night so most likely it could have been one book. Overall, I thought the series was entertaining, it was quick and some parts felt rushed, but that’s ok.
Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Kingdom Politics
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Bloomsbury YA for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
From New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer comes a blockbuster fantasy series about a kingdom divided by corruption, the prince desperately holding it together, and the girl who will risk everything to bring it crashing down.
The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster. Rifts between sectors have only worsened since a sickness began ravaging the land, and within the Royal Palace, the king holds a tenuous peace with a ruthless hand.
King Harristan was thrust into power after his parents’ shocking assassination, leaving the younger Prince Corrick to take on the brutal role of the King’s Justice. The brothers have learned to react mercilessly to any sign of rebellion–it’s the only way to maintain order when the sickness can strike anywhere, and the only known cure, an elixir made from delicate Moonflower petals, is severely limited.
Out in the Wilds, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade is tired of seeing her neighbors die, their suffering ignored by the unyielding royals. Every night, she and her best friend Wes risk their lives to steal Moonflower petals and distribute the elixir to those who need it most–but it’s still not enough.
As rumors spread that the cure no longer works and sparks of rebellion begin to flare, a particularly cruel act from the King’s Justice makes Tessa desperate enough to try the impossible: sneaking into the palace. But what she finds upon her arrival makes her wonder if it’s even possible to fix Kandala without destroying it first.
Set in a richly imaginative world with striking similarities to our own, Brigid Kemmerer’s captivating new series is about those with power and those without . . . and what happens when someone is brave enough to imagine a new future.
When I saw Brigid Kemmerer’s name on this book, I had to request it. I’ve read most of her contemporary works and I just finished the Cursebreakers series. I am a fan.
There is an illness ravaging the kingdom of Kandala and the king and prince who rule, try to do so by punishing anyone caught committing a crime, regardless of why they commit the crime in the first place. Tessa is someone breaking the law to help people survive this deadly illness, but if caught, it doesn’t matter that she’s doing this out of the kindness of her heart – she would be punished like the many who line the castle walls, dead and on display of their transgressions.
I liked how each character had very distinct voices, Corrick’s especially. Tessa is the bleeding heart, helping who she can. King Harristan is the young king, who was sickly as a child and his brother, Prince Corrick – he is the star of this whole show. Out of all of them he is that morally grey character, he wears different faces, he is harsh, he has the reputation of a prince who is always seeking death…but is he really that way?
We know where Tessa stands, and where King Harristan has to stand, but Prince Corrick is the one who carries out the dealings of the kingdom and it’s because of him and Tessa that the tides turn in Kandala.
There is political intrigue – sectors vying for control of the kingdom and using the Moonflowe medicine to their gain. The more Moonflower that grows in a certain sector, the more power they seem to have and the King has to give in but the people are dying while the elite play politics. The people are fed up and a rebellion grows, but who is the leader of it? Tessa and Prince Corrick try to find out before it’s too late.
The story moves along quickly! I didn’t realize it was 496 pages, it seemed shorter. I was invested in the relationships between the royal brothers and of course with Tessa and Prince Corrick. There is an enemies to lovers romance, a sweet one that gets quite complicated but all the same it made me root for them. I really came to care about the characters.
Triggers: illness, death, violence, torture
It says this is a series, but I do feel like this was Tessa and Prince Corrick’s story and it has a resolution at the end. So I wonder if the next installment will focus on King Harristan?
I’d like to see Tessa grow more and learn her apothecary art. It seems like we only get a glimpse of her knowledge because this was a fast paced story with lots of action, so we only saw a few scenes where she is actually using her own knowledge to make tinctures. We do get the sense she learned a bunch from her dad who has passed so maybe we’ll get to see more of his notes in book two.
I read this in one sitting which means it caught my attention good- especially since I’m trying to finish a bunch of other books at the same time. I loved the action and pace of the story, and the characters made me want to know more about them. This is a wonderful start to what I hope is an amazing new series!
Distraction (n): an extreme agitation of the mind or emotions.
Ruthie Midona has worked the front desk at the Providence Luxury Retirement Villa for six years, dedicating her entire adult life to caring for the Villa’s residents, maintaining the property (with an assist from DIY YouTube tutorials), and guarding the endangered tortoises that live in the Villa’s gardens. Somewhere along the way, she’s forgotten that she’s young and beautiful, and that there’s a world outside of work—until she meets the son of the property developer who just acquired the retirement center.
Teddy Prescott has spent the last few years partying, sleeping in late, tattooing himself when bored, and generally not taking life too seriously—something his father, who dreams of grooming Teddy into his successor, can’t understand. When Teddy needs a place to crash, his father seizes the chance to get him to grow up. He’ll let Teddy stay in one of the on-site cottages at the retirement home, but only if he works to earn his keep. Teddy agrees—he can change a few lightbulbs and clip some hedges, no sweat. But Ruthie has plans for Teddy too.
Her two wealthiest and most eccentric residents have just placed an ad (yet another!) seeking a new personal assistant to torment. The women are ninety-year-old, four-foot-tall menaces, and not one of their assistants has lasted a full week. Offering up Teddy seems like a surefire way to get rid of the tall, handsome, unnerving man who won’t stop getting under her skin.
Ruthie doesn’t count on the fact that in Teddy Prescott, the Biddies may have finally met their match. He’ll pick up Chanel gowns from the dry cleaner and cut Big Macs into bite-sized bits. He’ll do repairs around the property, make the residents laugh, and charm the entire villa. He might even remind Ruthie what it’s like to be young and fun again. But when she finds out Teddy’s father’s only fixing up the retirement home to sell it, putting everything she cares about in jeopardy, she’s left wondering if Teddy’s magic was all just a façade.
This was a fun book that involved a 25 year old girl who dresses like the residents at the retirement home she works at. It doesn’t help that she lives there on site, will she ever get out of Providence? The elderly residents, especially Renata, are wild – as wild as she can get in her scooter! I used to work at a retirement home so I felt like these residents were spot on with the humor and boldness – not sure I knew a resident who wanted to torture boys so much though! 😅 Then comes along a long-haired, charming, gorgeous young man, Teddy, who is basically punished to live there but turns out it’s what the retirement home needed!
I love how fleshed out Ruthie is – she is a pastor’s daughter, estranged from her parents- trying to make a living working and living at the retirement home. She’s nice, organized, neat, loves lists and is 25 going on 95! Most people would say she is bland, but not Teddy – apparently she’s his type! Ruthie doesn’t have a social life but she is kind, always very giving and chill, even though she also sometimes has panic attacks. I enjoyed her interactions with her coworker Melanie, I had a few laughs! She is awesome and probably my favorite character in this book. Renata is funny as heck and I love what she reveals in the end.
Speaking of laughs, my favorite scene in the whole book was the thrift shopping scene. So much chaos, it had me cracking up!
Teddy is not the usual, brooding love interest. No, this boy has player energy with the hair, the smiles, the jokes – he is full of charm, charming Renata of all people who is basically torturing him (he is her errand boy!). Teddy is disorganized in life, which makes sense why Ruthie would want to take care of him right? He was fun but I can see why Melanie was trying to scare him off of Ruthie haha.
I think the love story between Teddy and Ruthie is sweet because really they became friends before lovers. I like how Teddy is attracting to her because she’s basically his opposite and he wants to take care of her. And Ruthie wants to take care of him but is aware he isn’t the type to stay…so she was brave enough to jump into the uncharted waters for him.
Although Teddy is beautiful with his tattoos and long hair, and he is super funny (like he’d seriously be someone I’d hang out with) he is definitely the kind of guy I wouldn’t trust or would lose patience with because he is so flighty! He is always joking, it’s hard to know if he is sincere at times or selfish and trying to manipulate others to get his way. I was team Melanie on this all the way – I wanted Ruthie to stay far away from him!
There is a happy ending and Teddy even made up with his sister Rose – that wasn’t quite believable to me though. It happened so fast!
Why you should read it:
it’s a sweet love story/opposites attract
the secondary characters are so much fun
happily ever after feels
Why you might not want to read it:
Teddy comes off as a player and that kind of guy who needs to be taken care of (it annoyed me a little lol)
My Thoughts:
This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I saw reviews saying that it isn’t as good as The Hating Game. So I guess having no expectations of this book was good for me? I enjoyed Ruthie and Teddy’s budding relationship. Melanie and Renata were my favorite parts though, they were so funny. Teddy is that kind of guy who would turn me on with his good looks, humor and charm but turn me off with his lack of direction and commitment but overall I thought the story was cute!
Title: Where Dreams Descend (Kingdom of Cards, #1)
Author: Janella Angeles
Format: Hardcover (own)
Pages: 464
Publication Date: 8/25/20
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Categories: Magicians, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes.
As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next.
The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she’s the best no matter the cost
The Master: Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club, and more than one lie told
The Magician: Demarco, the brooding judge with a dark past he can no longer hide
Where Dreams Descend is the startling and romantic first book in Janella Angeles’ debut Kingdom of Cards fantasy duology where magic is both celebrated and feared, and no heart is left unscathed.
First off, the book cover is gorgeous! I love the reds and golds and the font too – it just looks so good.
This book definitely gave me some Phantom of the Opera vibes with Jack, this master magician being so mystery and some Moulin Rouge because of Kallia. Kallia is a showgirl but a magician as well who wants all eyes on her and is very unapologetic about it. This girl knows she’s a star and it comes through in her personality. Demarco is another mysterious magician, who has a past that is revealed when he starts getting close to Kallia. The tone of the book is dark, very much like the stage is set for something dire or spectacular…or both?
Kallia is a bold character and I did like that about her. She wanted more than being a showgirl, she wanted to be the main girl on stage because she loves the applause. Kallia is the only female magician in this competition so she really has to do everything to outshine the guys. I did like how she made friends with the Conquering Circus, and the other bold women that was a part of the circus.
Kallia and Demarco’s relationship starts off slow but it heats up. Obviously there is attraction, but Demarco is a judge and Kallia is a contestant so that wouldn’t look good to onlookers if they were to get together. It’s inevitable though but Demarco is hiding a secret and of course Jack doesn’t miss an opportunity to warn Kallia. I did think it was cute how Kallia and Demarco didn’t get along and then they started to become friends because anything more. But can Demarco take on Jack who seems like a way more powerful guy?
Triggers: toxic relationships, misogyny
It took me a few days to finish this book. It was a little slow and I was interested in Kallia and her magic but there is way too much mystery about Jack. More is revealed at the end but it’s a 460+ page book and I wanted a little more information a bit earlier about Jack, other than the fact he is obsessed with Kallia. Clearly she doesn’t want anything to do with him so he was being creepy.
Though Kallia is a powerful young woman, I couldn’t really connect to her. Maybe that’s where my interest lagged because I didn’t care too much about her journey becoming a star on stage. Maybe I’m just not into magician stories? I don’t know.
I hope there isn’t a love triangle because Jack is obsessive and manipulative. If he’s doing for some reason we don’t know then maybe I’ll change my mind when I know more information. Although Kallia and Demarco have something going on, there is drama at the end so we shall see how that goes.
Why you should read it:
if you like magician and circus stories, you will enjoy this
has Phantom of the Opera and Moulin Rouge vibes
story about a girl wanting more in her life
Why you might not want to read it:
slow start, book got interesting in the end
might be a love triangle brewing
needs more world building or explanation about magic system
My Thoughts:
I was really wowed by the book cover but for me the story didn’t live up to my expectations of it. I did enjoy the Phantom of the Opera and Moulin Rouge vibes but I need to know more about Jack. I did enjoy the dark tone of the story and how Kallia is a girl who wants more in her life and takes it by the handful – she’s hard worker, stubborn, bold and yes she is a star. I’ll be reading the next book because I have the arc in NetGalley but if I didn’t, I don’t think I’d have picked up the sequel.
Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, Friendship, Coming of Age
Seventeen is nothing like Codi Teller imagined.
She’s never crashed a party, never stayed out too late. She’s never even been kissed. And it’s not just because she’s gay. It’s because she and her two best friends, Maritza and JaKory, spend more time in her basement watching Netflix than engaging with the outside world.
So when Maritza and JaKory suggest crashing a party, Codi is highly skeptical. Those parties aren’t for kids like them. They’re for cool kids. Straight kids.
But then Codi stumbles upon one of those cool kids, Ricky, kissing another boy in the dark, and an unexpected friendship is formed. In return for never talking about that kiss, Ricky takes Codi under his wing and draws her into a wild summer filled with late nights, new experiences, and one really cute girl named Lydia.
The only problem? Codi never tells Maritza or JaKory about any of it.
From author Kelly Quindlen comes a poignant and deeply relatable story about friendship, self-acceptance, what it means to be a Real Teenager. Late to the Party is an ode to late bloomers and wallflowers everywhere.
Late to the Party is about Codi who is tired of feeling “boxed in” her life and mostly by her friends. She’s had the same best friends, Maritza and JaKory for years and here they are, the summer before Senior year and they want to live a little. Her best friends want to be kissed, want to date someone or at least to know what it feels like to do any of those things. Codi wants it too but she doesn’t know how to go about changing her life until she runs into Ricky. He’s a year older, lives in her neighborhood and he doesn’t know if he is gay or not. Codi and Ricky bond together and it becomes a summer of changes – in ways unexpected.
Codi is a teenager, wanting a different kind of life, outside of what her best friends perceive her to be and I definitely went through that as a teenager. How do you know who you are if you are always with the same people? Especially if you don’t feel like who they think you are is not how you feel you are inside. So this story is about growing and Codi goes through a lot of it especially with her new friendship with Ricky.
Ricky is a great mirror for Codi, I adore him. He tells her things straight up and coming from a “stranger” who is a new friend and not her old friends, it’s a new voice telling her what she needs to hear. He shows her she can have fun and not be on the outside looking in all the time.
Codi and Lydia’s budding relationship is sweet and occurs naturally without too much drama which was nice to see. There is a lot of queer relationships in this book which was lovely. I also liked how Ricky wasn’t sure if he only liked guys or girls and guys – his confusion and anxiety and talking about everything with Codi was a breakthrough moment in their friendship.
Triggers: drinking alcohol
I didn’t quite connect to Codi, even though I could relate to her feelings of feeling trapped in a persona she wasn’t sure was truly herself. I just didn’t understand how she could ghost her best friends most of the summer and lie about hanging with Ricky and his friends. There were parts of her that seemed selfish but that was her point actually, she wanted something to be selfish about but it affected her relationship with her best friends and even her younger brother.
Why you should read it:
f/f and m/m relationships
nostalgia of those awkward teen years
very quick read
Why you might not want to read it:
nostalgia of those awkward teen years (lol)
My Thoughts:
This was a very quick read with a lot of queer representation and teens being teens – awkward, insecure, finding their way as they should be. Codi make mistakes and tries to fix said mistakes. Overall, it was an enjoyable story despite me not connecting to the main character as much as I would have liked.
Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Audiobook
The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.
What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?
The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?
Welcome to Weep.
For some reason I had a hard time getting through the beginning of this book when I was reading it as a physical book. I don’t know why! So while I was making my daughter a plushy I said, okay, I’ll give audiobooks a try again since I need something to listen to as I craft and chose to listen to this book. I am not sure what I was thinking but…I got through it and I’m not a big audiobook fan.
As for the narrator, Steve West, he did so good! His voice is mesmerizing, which is perfect for the author’s prose. I did giggle when he had to do some of the female dialogue but for the most part – it was his voice that kept me invested in this story. It’s a 500+ paged book and 67 chapters – I really didn’t think I’d survive the audiobook version, but I found myself wanting to hear the narrator speak.
Laini Taylor is a master at world building, imagery and magical prose. This story comes to life in this audiobook, and one word kept standing out to me, sumptuous. Every description of this world is so lush, detailed, beautiful even when it is a nightmare. The story building is wonderful as we meet Lazlo Strange and his obsession with stories of a place called Weep. Everyone thinks it’s a fairytale, a story not real until…it is real. We go on this adventure with Lazlo as he travels to the Citadel to uncover the mysteries of Weep and it’s history. We also meet Sarai, a godspawn being, half god, half human and forgotten until she is found. I cared about all the characters, humans, gods, godspawn and even the ghosts.
What we find is a story of gods and humans, of massacred babies, ghosts who want peace and revenge, and godspawn half human/half god children who were forgotten and reviled. It’s a sad story, a complicated story, a heartbreaking one of choices made, and consequences of those actions and choices. It’s a story also about love and falling in love, the learning of kisses and emotions, of longing and pleasure.
I enjoyed the puzzle of Weep and Lazlo’s patience in piecing everything together. He really grows as a character from an orphan, library apprentice to finding out who he really is.
Triggers: death, violence, violence against children
Because it was an audiobook I felt like there were a lot of repetition in the story like when it came to describing life as a godspawn or even just the kissing scenes (which are beautiful) but Minya is about to kill everyone and the Godslayer is about to do something also…I wanted all that action! Would I have read through these areas faster? Maybe. There was a few parts in the beginning where I felt like things could have moved faster but there is a lot of describing going on! It is almost a 600 page book and although I love the flowery prose, at times I wanted to get to the point. Once again – this might be because I was listening to it as an audiobook, I’m not sure? I had to listen while my kids talked to me or had Roblox playing in the background haha. It was a challenge!
Why you should read it:
Intricate, unique world and story building, beautiful imagery
Amazing characters
Emotional story about love, hate, war
Why you might not want to read it:
Overly descriptive prose, sometimes repetitive and not a lot of action
Flowery prose is not your thing
Slow beginning
My thoughts:
This book was hyped up years ago and though I LOVE this author, but I couldn’t get into the story until now…4 years later! And only through audiobook I could get through the beginning because it is so slow. I just borrowed Muse of Nightmares as an ebook just in case there are slow parts again that I can speed through, I hope. Underneath all the fluffy and sumptuous words, is a beautiful, creative story about gods, humans and godspawn. I need to know what happens next and I hope it’s good.
Categories: Romance, Musician/Rock Star, Contemporary, Diverse
Since the death of his twin brother, Oliver’s caught between pleasing his fans and finding himself. Emery finds him first.
Emery has never felt more alone. Raising her daughter is both her pleasure and her pain as she struggles to hold on to her job as a bartender and keep a roof over their heads. With no one to help them—no support system—any unexpected expense or late bill could turn their whole world upside down.
Reeling from the death of his twin brother and bandmate, rock star Oliver Smith is trying to drink his problems away. Apparently he isn’t very good at it; they follow him wherever he goes. Also in hot pursuit are the paparazzi, who catch Oliver at his lowest low.
He could have walked into any bar in California, but he walked into hers. Emery helps Oliver lose the crowd, and they find themselves alone: two people whose paths are marked with loss and pain. However, they hold an unshakable hope for healing. They find solace together, but can their love withstand the world?
This book definitely fulfilled my craving for a rockstar romance. The rock star or R&B star in this instance is Oliver & Alex Smith, who are twins and best friends. But Alex tragically dies and Oliver is left in grief. Emery is a single mother trying to make things meet but she is struggling and she has hardly any support. When Oliver and Emery meet, it starts as a friendship and into something more.
I really liked Oliver and Alex even though Alex was only in the book for a little bit. You can feel their tight brotherly bond and it’s so sad when he dies. Oliver grieves and out of the two brothers he was the quiet and introspective one so dealing with this event is hard for him. But I love how he opens up especially when he meets Emery. He is in a toxic situation with his girlfriend and just in life in general after Alex’s death. Emery is a wonderful character – she loves her daughter, loves her sister and she’s strong despite her toxic upbringing. I love her strength and her softness despite her hard circumstances.
The romance is a slow burn but when they do get together, oh does it burn between them. Don’t be surprised by the sweetness of their relationship because in the bedroom it gets steamy fast. Oliver and Emery start off as friends but they grow closer and Oliver bonds with her daughter which is so adorable. I love the theme of family in this book. Oliver has supportive and caring parents, but Emery has strict parents who withheld affection, even hated her which is truly awful. I liked how it shows how families can be toxic but there is always a chance to stop the cycle and create new, healthy family traditions.
The story is a little predictable when Emery becomes his personal chef, but I didn’t mind that at all. Also just because she’s a personal chef, this wasn’t a foodie book at all. They say her food is amazing but we don’t necessarily get all the food descriptions like we do in more food oriented romance stories.
The sexual parts are quick scenes but pretty hot and descriptive, so if you aren’t into that – this may not be for you.
Why you should read it:
fan of R&B music star falling for regular girl trope
slow burn, steamy love making scenes, sweet romance
emotional story of two people overcoming sadness and struggle in their lives
quick read
Why you might not want to read it:
musician trope
predictable story
My thoughts:
I don’t read a lot of rock star trope stories but once in awhile I get a craving for it. I loved that this was about an R&B star because it’s one of my favorite music genres and this is a diverse read with a beautiful black man and woman as the lead characters. The story is emotional, sweet, and deals with a hard topics like grief and a toxic family. But our couple comes out shining and filled with a new outlook on life and love. I look forward to reading more books from this author.
Title: How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe
Author: Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Pages: 432
Publication Date: 8/10/21
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Coming of Age, Social Media, Body Image, Self Love, Family, Romance, Mental Health
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Hating Gamemeets I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter in this irresistible romance starring a Mexican American teen who discovers love and profound truths about the universe when she spends her summer on a road trip across the country.
When her twin sister reaches social media stardom, Moon Fuentez accepts her fate as the ugly, unwanted sister hidden in the background, destined to be nothing more than her sister’s camerawoman. But this summer, Moon also takes a job as the “merch girl” on a tour bus full of beautiful influencers and her fate begins to shift in the best way possible.
Most notable is her bunkmate and new nemesis, Santiago Phillips, who is grumpy, combative, and also the hottest guy Moon has ever seen.
Moon is certain she hates Santiago and that he hates her back. But as chance and destiny (and maybe, probably, close proximity) bring the two of them in each other’s perpetual paths, Moon starts to wonder if that’s really true. She even starts to question her destiny as the unnoticed, unloved wallflower she always thought she was.
Could this summer change Moon’s life as she knows it?
I am in LOVE with this book. Where do I begin? First the title intrigued me, and the character’s name being Moon. Because I love all moon things. Then the cover with a curvy girl, the moon above her and all that pink and purple tones. That’s where my love for it starts – but then the story takes me on an emotional journey and that’s when I fell hard.
Moon Fuentez is so relatable. She’s an artist and calls to the artist in me. I want to follow her Fotogram account, I want to buy her tarot cards, I wanted to know this girl and we definitely get to know her in this story. Her twin is Star Fuentez and her opposite from their body size and beliefs about lifestyle. Moon honors the old ways, honoring the Earth, delving in the mystical – and Star is a religious model (I didn’t even know those existed!). Moon has a lot of family secrets that are revealed little by little as she gets to know Santiago, a boy on the tour. I love how Moon grows on this tour. She’s there to basically be her sister’s assistant but she learns that she has a light around her too and embraces it in the end.
Speaking of Moon and Santiago – theirs is an enemies to lovers romance which so much spark. They are enemies, then sort of friends, which was fun to watch because Santiago really is such a grump and likes to anger Moon haha, and Moon makes him laugh. I mean, Santiago already had me with his kitchen skills. They are the cutest couple.
This story takes sensitive issues that Moon is dealing with and weaves them into the mystical and natural fabric of our world and universe. I thought it was beautifully done. I felt embraced in Moon’s experiences with La Raiz. I love how Moon learned divination with her Tia, the only person who has shown her real love (besides her dad). It’s a heartbreaking story at its core, a girl just wanting the love of a parent. But Moon is strong in the end to make decisions that are healthier for her heart, soul and mind, even if it hurts a lot.
Triggers: suicide, child abuse, depression
This story is sex positive but Moon struggles with her mom’s views on sex and body image. It reminded me of my own Catholic upbringing but obviously Moon’s mom took it to the next level by slut shaming her, blaming her – her own child, for how miserable she felt inside. Her mother needed help and never got it but it conditioned Star and Moon from childhood that sex was an evil act. Moon has other people in her life explain to her why it wasn’t how her mom portrayed it to be, which is great.
Depression is mentioned because some characters in the book go through it. Moon has her own coping mechanisms, ones that she realizes she has to work through.
Is Moon Fuentez real? Because I want her to be – I want to buy her beautiful tarot cards and pick flowers with her. I want to check out her artwork in a museum, I want to see the images she captured on her beloved camera. I fell in love with Moon and Moon with Santiago and this whole story about nature’s magic, how even in this amazing, big universe, we are all connected, even in our pain. This is a book I connected with wholeheartedly, it really touched my heart, and I can’t wait to have it in my hands as a physical book.
Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Shapeshifters
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
A breakout standalone epic fantasy about shapeshifting warriors perfect for fans of Adrienne Young and Wonder Woman.
High above the sea, floats the pristine city of the Heliana. Home to winged-lion shapeshifters―the Leonodai―and protected from the world of humans by an elite group of warriors, the Heliana has only known peace.
After years of brutal training, seventeen-year-old Rowan is ready to prove her loyalty to the city and her people to become one of the Leonodai warriors. But before Rowan can take the oath, a deadly disease strikes the city’s children. Soon the warriors―including two of Rowan’s closest friends―are sent on a dangerous mission to find a fabled panacea deep within enemy lands.
Left behind, Rowan learns a devastating truth that could compromise the mission and the fate of the Heliana itself. She must make a decision: stay with the city and become a warrior like she always dreamed, or risk her future in an attempt to save everyone she loves. Whatever Rowan decides, she has to do it fast, because time is running out, and peace can only last so long…
World Building ~ I found this kingdom of winged-lion shapeshifters quite unique. The Leonodai and humans are enemies but now the shapeshifters need their help but there is no help to be found. A group of warriors venture to the human side to find the cure for an illness affecting the young Leonodai.
Characters ~ this is Rowan’s story. We have 3 POV’s between Rowan, Callen and Shirene but it really was mostly told through Rowan. I liked Rowan, she was a warrior in training and ready to do what it took to get the cure to save her people.
Pace ~ This is a standalone novel and I think it moved along fairly quickly. We get right into the situation and then into the thick of things when the warriors need to get the cure. This was a quick read especially during the action parts.
Romance ~ I wasn’t into the romance triangle that Rowan was struggling through while there was an important mission taking place. Maybe if it was a duology or trilogy and we got to see more of Callen and Rowan’s history then I would have felt invested in it. In this standalone she has to make a choice so fast and I just didn’t care for it.
I think this had the potential to be much more epic than it was if the story was continued. Everything seemed rushed, especially the ending and I wanted more world building.
I thought Shirene, Rowan’s sister, would have a bigger role in the story since she is introduced before Rowan and with a big task it seems but she fades off as Rowan takes the spotlight.
Sometimes I wonder if I’m just not used to reading many standalone fantasy anymore since they always come packaged in a series. For a standalone, I thought this was okay. I didn’t care for the romance storyline and I wished some things weren’t rushed but for a light young adult fantasy, I think the world building is unique and that kept me interested in the story.
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 for an honest review!
WWII historical fiction inspired by the real women of the Women’s Air Raid Defense, RADAR GIRLS follows one unlikely recruit as she trains and serves in secrecy as a radar plotter on Hawaii. A tale of resilience and sisterhood, it sees the battles of the Pacific through the eyes of these pioneering women, and will appeal to fans of Kate Quinn and Pam Jenoff.
An extraordinary story inspired by the real Women’s Air Raid Defense, where an unlikely recruit and her sisters-in-arms forge their place in WWII history.
Daisy Wilder prefers the company of horses to people, bare feet and saltwater to high heels and society parties. Then, in the dizzying aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Daisy enlists in a top-secret program, replacing male soldiers in a war zone for the first time. Under fear of imminent invasion, the WARDs guide pilots into blacked-out air strips and track unidentified planes across Pacific skies.
But not everyone thinks the women are up to the job, and the new recruits must rise above their differences and work side-by-side despite the resistance and heartache they meet along the way. With America’s future on the line, Daisy is determined to prove herself worthy. And with the man she’s falling in love with out on the front lines, she cannot fail. From radar towers on remote mountaintops to flooded bomb shelters, she’ll need her new team when the stakes are highest. Because the most important battles are fought—and won—together.
This inspiring and uplifting tale of pioneering, unsung heroines vividly transports the reader to wartime Hawaii, where one woman’s call to duty leads her to find courage, strength and sisterhood.
I was drawn to this book because it is set in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu (where I live) during World War II. The author did such a wonderful job with describing my island of Oahu.
The author got the Hawaiian words right, and I appreciated that. Even though I live here, I didn’t know about the women recruited to form the Women’s Air Raid Defense. The crazy thing is that I grew up 5 minutes from Fort Shafter where the story is set, which is pretty cool. It was nice to see Hawaii represented accurately.
I loved learning alongside Daisy and her friends about Radar. I found these women to be motivated, smart, and capable.
Daisy is our main character and she’s a strong young lady without any real family on the island. She befriends some of the other women who are recruited to WARD and they form a tight-knit grip trying to figure out men, love, life on base, and learning everything they need to to help in the war effort. I liked the woman power especially because this was set in the 1940’s when women were expected to be at home cooking, cleaning and making babies. I liked learning of these women helping the military which is a male dominant world.
Triggers: sexual assault, grief, war
I felt like Daisy’s background and the drama connected to her (a missing horse) didn’t seem to flow well into the story about her being part of WARD. I found those aspects of the story much more interesting and wanted to know more about her life as part of the program.
There is a light romance taking place in the story but I wasn’t very invested in it.
Radar Girls made me learn something new about World War II and appreciate the role of women in such a challenging time. It’s a story about Daisy and her friends, women who were recruited to help fly our boys home during the war. There were some parts of the story that didn’t engage my interest, like Daisy’s personal life problems. I did enjoy her camaraderie with her new friends though. If you love historical fiction, you will enjoy this one.
📚 ~ Yolanda
Book Excerpt~
2
The Bust
Their shack, as Daisy referred to the house, was nestled in a cluster of bent ironwood trees, all by its lonesome. Set back far from the beach to protect it from a direct blast of onshore winds, it still took a constant battering and the salty air and elements had done a fine job reclaiming it. Windowpanes had been blasted opaque, you could see through the back wall, and flowers had taken up residence in the gutters. The siding had gone from forest green to pale green to peeling gray, the roof turned to rust.
When he had first started working up at the ranch, Daisy’s father had somehow persuaded Mr. Montgomery to sell him the small parcel of beachfront property for the price of a bag of sand. Most likely because it was in no-man’s-land between Waialua and the ranch. And because her father had been the best horse trainer in Hawai’i and everyone knew it.
She flung open the front door and ran inside. “Mom?” she called.
All quiet. She tiptoed across the lauhala mat in the living room, avoiding the creaking floorboards. Her mother spent much of her life in one of two states—sleeping or staring out to sea. The bedroom door was cracked and a lump lay under the blankets, pillow over her head. There was no point in trying to wake her, so Daisy ran back outside, hopped on her bike and rode for the stables.
The air was ripe with burnt sugarcane and a scratchy feeling of dread. She bumped along a dirt road as fast as her old bike would carry her. That plume of black smoke above Schofield caused her heart to sink. So many Japanese planes could mean only one thing. An attack or invasion of some kind was happening. But the sky remained empty and she saw no signs of ships on the horizon.
By the time she reached the stables, she had worked out what to tell Mr. Silva—the only person at the ranch who was even close to being a friend—and beg that he help her find Moon. Whether or not he would risk his job was another story. Jobs were not easy to come by, especially on this side of the island. Daisy counted herself lucky to have one. When she rounded the corner by the entrance, she about fell over on her bike. Mr. Silva’s rusted truck was gone and in its place sat Mr. Montgomery’s shiny new Ford, motor running and door open.
As far as old Hal Montgomery was concerned, Daisy was mostly invisible. She had worked for him going on seven years now—since she was sixteen—but she was a girl and girls were fluffy, pretty things who wore fancy dresses and attended parties. Not short-haired, trouser-wearing, outdoorsy misfits. And certainly not horse trainers and skin divers. Nope, those jobs belonged to men. There was also the matter of her father’s death, but she preferred not to think about that.
Should she turn around and hightail it out of there before he caught sight of her? He’d find out eventually, and he would be livid. Daisy pulled her bike behind the toolshed and slipped around the back side of the stables, peering in through a cloudy window. The tension in the air from earlier had dissipated and the horses were all quiet. A tall form stood in front of the old horse—Ka‘ena—she was supposed to ride. It was hard to tell through the foggy pane, but the man looked too tall and too thin to be Hal Montgomery.
Horsefeathers! It was Walker, Montgomery’s son. A line of perspiration formed on the back of her neck and she had the strong urge to flee. Not that Daisy had had much interaction with Walker in recent years. He was aloof and intimidating and the kind of person who made her forget how to speak, but he loved Moon fiercely. Of that she was sure. Just then, he turned and started jogging toward the door. His face was in shadow but it felt like he was looking right at her. She froze. If she ducked away now, he would surely catch the movement. She did it anyway.
She had just made it to her bike when Walker tore out of the tack room with a wild look in his eye. He had a rifle hanging across his chest, and he was carrying two others. He stopped when he saw her. “Hey!” he said.
“Oh, hello, Mr. Montgomery.”
He wore his flight suit, which was only halfway buttoned, like he’d been interrupted either trying to get in it or trying to get out of it. His face was flushed and lined with sweat. “Don’t you know we’ve been attacked? You ought to head for cover, somewhere inland.”
He was visibly shaken.
“I saw the planes. What do you know?” she said.
“Wheeler and Schofield are all shot up, and they did a number on Pearl. Battleships down, bay on fire. God knows how many dead.” His gaze dropped to her body for a moment and she felt her skin burn. There had been no time to change or even think about changing, and she was still in her half-wet swimsuit, hair probably sticking out in eleven directions. “What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I was worried about the horses,” she said.
“That makes two of us. And goddamn Moon is not in his stall. You know anything about that?”
Taking Moon had been about the dumbest thing she could have done. But at the time, it seemed a perfectly sane idea. The kind of thinking that got her into plenty of trouble over the years. Why hadn’t she learned? She looked at the coconut tree just past him as she spoke. “I have no idea. Perhaps Mr. Silva has him?”
“Mr. Silva went to town last night to see his sister,” he said.
She forced herself to look at him, feeling like she had the word guilty inked onto her forehead. “Looks like you have somewhere to be. You go on, I’ll find Moon. I promise.”
Her next order of business would be scouring the coast and finding that horse before Walker returned. There would be no sleeping until Moon was safely back at the stables.
“I sure hope so. That horse is mighty important to me,” he said.
Tell him!
She was about to come clean, when he moved around her, hopped in the car and slammed the door. He leaned out the window and said, “Something tells me you know more than you’re letting on, Wilder.”
With that, he sped off, leaving her standing in a cloud of red dirt and sand.
In the stables, the horses knew the sound of her footsteps, or maybe they smelled the salt on her hair. A concert of nickers and snorts erupted in the stalls. Daisy went to the coatrack first, and slid on an oversize button-up that she kept there for chilly days. It smelled of hay.
“How is everyone?” she said, stopping at each one to rub their necks or kiss their noses. “Quite a morning, hasn’t it been?”
Peanut was pacing with nostrils flared, and she spent a few minutes stroking his long neck before moving on. Horses were her lifeblood. Feeding, grooming, riding, loving. She only wished that Mr. Montgomery would let her train them—officially, that was. Without being asked as a last resort by Mr. Silva when everyone else had tried. Lord knew she was better than the rest of the guys. When she got to Moon’s stall, all the blood rushed from her head. The door had been left open and two Japanese slippers hung from the knob. She had hidden them in the corner under some straw—apparently not well enough.
Damn.
Just then she heard another car pull up. The ranch truck. A couple of the ranch hands poured out, making a beeline to the stables. Mr. Montgomery followed on their heels with a machete in his hand and a gun on his hip. Daisy felt the skin tighten on the back of her neck. His ever-present limp seemed even more pronounced.
When he saw her, he said, “Where’s Silva?”
No mention that they were under attack.
“In town,” she answered.
“What about Walker?”
“Walker just left in a big hurry,” she answered.
One of the guys had his hunting dog with him. It was a big mutt that enjoyed staring down the horses and making them nervous, as if they needed to be any more nervous right now. Daisy wanted to tell him to get the dog out of there, but knew it would be pointless.
“The hosses in the pasture need to be secured,” Mr. M said.
“Do you need my help?” she offered.
“Nah, you should get out of here. Get home. Fuckers blew up all our planes and now paratroopers are coming down in the pineapple fields. Ain’t no place for a woman right now.”
Daisy wanted to stay and help, but also wanted to get the hell away before he noticed that Moon was not here. “Yes, sir.”
He stopped and sized her up for a moment, his thick brows pinched. “You still got that shotgun of your old man’s?”
“I do.”
“Make sure it’s loaded.”
On her way home, Daisy passed through Japanese camp, hoping to get more information from Mr. Sasaki, who always knew the latest happenings. A long row of cottages lined the road, every rock and leaf in its place. The houses were painted barn red with crisp, white trim. On any given Sunday, there would have been gangs of kids roaming the area, but now the place was eerily empty.
“Hello?” she called, letting her bike fall into the naupaka hedge.
When she knocked and no one answered, she started pounding. A curtain pulled aside and a small face peered out at her and waved her away. Mrs. Sasaki. She was torn, but chose to leave them be. With the whispers of paranoia lately, all the local Japanese folks were bound to be nervous. She didn’t blame them.
This time when Daisy ran up to the shack, her mother was sitting on the porch drinking coffee from her chipped mug.
She was still in her nightgown, staring out beyond the ocean. When she was in this state, a person could have walked into their house and made off with all of their belongings and her mother would not even bat an eye.
Daisy sat down next to her. “Mom, the Japanese Army attacked Pearl Harbor and Wheeler and who knows where else.”
Her mother clenched her jaw slightly, took a sip of her coffee, then set it down on the mango stump next to her chair. “They said it would happen,” she said flatly.
“This is serious, mom. People are dead. Civilians, too. I don’t know how many, but the islands are in danger of being invaded and there are Japanese ships and planes all around. They’re telling us to stay inside.”
A look of worry came over her mom’s face. “You should go find a safer place to stay, away from the coast.”
“And leave you here?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
Her mom shrugged.
She knew Louise couldn’t help it, but a tiny part of Daisy was waiting for that day her mother would wake up and be the old Louise Wilder. The mother of red lipstick and coconut macaroons, of beach bonfires and salty hugs. The one who rode bikes with her daughter to school every day, singing with the birds along the way. The highs and lows had been there before, but now there were only lows and deeper lows.
After some time, her mother finally spoke. “Men, they do the dumbest things.”
“That may be true, but we’re at war. Does that mean anything to you?” Daisy said, her voice rising in frustration.
“Course it does, but what can we do?”
She had a point. Aside from hiding in the house or running away, what other options were there? Used to doing things, Daisy was desperate to help, but how? Their home was under attack and she felt as useful as a sack of dirt.
Louise leaned back. On days like these, she retreated so far into herself that she was unreachable. You could tell by looking in her eyes. Blank and bottomless. Mr. Silva always said that you could see the spirit in the eyes. Dull eyes, dull spirit. That Louise looked this way always made Daisy feel deeply alone. The onshore winds kicked up a notch and ruffled the surface of the ocean. She knew she should stay with her mom, but more than anything, she wanted to go in search of the horse. Moon meant more to her than just the job. She loved him something fierce.
Only one thing was clear: their lives would never be the same.
USA Today bestselling author Sara Ackerman was born and raised in Hawaii. She studied journalism and earned graduate degrees in psychology and Chinese medicine. She blames Hawaii for her addiction to writing, and sees no end to its untapped stories. When she’s not writing or teaching, you’ll find her in the mountains or in the ocean. She currently lives on the Big Island with her boyfriend and a houseful of bossy animals. Find out more about Sara and her books at http://www.ackermanbooks.com and follow her on Instagram @saraackermanbooks and on FB @ackermanbooks.
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