ARC Review: "Divine Rivals" (Letters of Enchantment #1) by Rebecca Ross

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

Shadow and Bone meets Lore in Rebecca Ross's Divine Rivals, an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

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REVIEW

I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 

I really really wanted to review this book sooner. Having read in March, I was so excited and filled with FEELS...but burnout got the better of me and I lost any mental strength to do this review.

But now after almost 2 months and especially after I saw the cover reveal of the second book, I decided to properly fangirl about this fantastic book.

I did get some slight feels of the Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, especially on the anonymous letter exchange but trust me the plot and the story are way too different, both equally splendid.

Iris Winnow is a young article writer in the Oath Gazette, a newspaper which covers among other things the coming war between gods. In this fantasy world, forces of good and evil, personified in the forms of sleeping gods, are warring with one another as two of them have woken up and the humans must choose a side.

As the face of war reveals the true nature of some humans Iris tries to keep her family together and worries over her brother who has been missing on the front lines.

Her sadness leads her to type letters and slide them under the wardrobe of her home; but she does not realize that they reach the hands of Roman Kitt, who is also her adversary at work. As circumstances lead them closer to one another, and the threat of war looms closer, they will fall for one another, in a tale I am pretty sure already has gripped me by the heartstrings.

I really do not want to spoil the story too much. There are some parts of humor scattered here and there but the human relationships showcased in the coming fear of destruction and war is what gripped me also. That there can be equal brave people as also cowards, or that we need to find happiness whenever we can and treasure it because it can be fleeting.

The ending gutted me; seriously I got SJM cliffhanger feels after this ending, and I really hope to get to read the second book! Plus I am in love with the special editions that came out especially the Owlcrate one (still waiting for my box).

I definitely recommend this; it is unique and beautiful and so emotional, you'll not be able to put it down!

About the author:

Rebecca Ross is the New York Times and #1 Sunday Times Bestselling author of fantasy novels for teens and adults. She lives in the Appalachian foothills of Northeast Georgia with her husband, their lively Australian Shepherd, a flock of chickens, and an endless pile of books.

DIVINE RIVALS, SISTERS OF SWORD & SONG, DREAMS LIE BENEATH, and The Queen's Rising Duology are her titles for teen readers. The Elements of Cadence Duology (A RIVER ENCHANTED and A FIRE ENDLESS) are her novels for adults.

When not writing, she can be found reading or in her garden, where she grows wildflowers and story ideas. Find her on Instagram @beccajross or online at www.rebeccarossauthor.com.

Rebecca is represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary & Media.

ARC Review: "Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death" by Maria Vale

Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death by Maria Vale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

Death needs a do-over.

Azrael---grim reaper and devourer of worlds--has messed up. Instead of taking Molly Molloy's soul, he patted her on the back and saved her from choking on an atomic chicken wing.

Now she can see him. Talk to him. Touch him. Say ‘no’ to him. And make him question the assumptions he has held for an eternity.

Molly is sick of Death capsizing her life. He'd taken her parents, then her grandparents, then her first great love.

Now, just as she was on the verge of getting her life together with a job that paid enough and a NYC apartment that didn't cost too much, Death interferes again in ways she could never have imagined.

The Powers that Be want Azrael to fix his mistake but before he can, Death makes one more.

He falls in love.

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REVIEW

I received an e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

It is no secret that I loved Maria Vale's books. Her series Legends of all Wolves is a must-read that brings together our love for the paranormal but with the sensitivity and deep love for nature as also romance.

This book gave me great vibes of "Meet Joe Black" and "The Ghost".

Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death was quite the wild ride. I knew that I just wanted to read it, despite the premise which always makes me cry because anything metaphysical always hits that spot in my heart that knows....that we don't know anything about the after.

Death is...not exactly an angel but a being beyond time and creation itself who has been demoted into gathering the souls of mortals...which he so drily pulls from the bodies he calls Rags, and sends them...Upstairs. I loved the sarcastic way he does the job? Like a public sector worker who just does the routine and finds no satisfaction in anything anymore.

And then when he goes to pull the soul of a Molloy, he realizes that he can be seen and that the woman whom he should he taken the soul is still alive.

Molly Molloy lives her life, without actually living, filled with grief and a dry sense of humor which was born of circumstances of pain and loss. When she realizes who and what Death is, a strange companionship will bloom between them, one that will defy the powers of...Upstairs.

There is a lot of emotion to unpack here. From the way, Molly slowly and surely integrates Death into human life to Death's understanding of how precious life is, despite being short for humans. It's almost comely how often he acts like a child or a teenager with his behavior and Molly is the one being the adult in the relationship. Additionally, I found the description of how Upstairs looks like quite hilarious, the combination of Latin for their rules and the idea that souls are connected to the human body through the omphalos (greek word for bellybutton-also an ancient mythological belief-) was a nice touch.

The ending had me crying but as Death adjusts to change, you slowly realize that his story never ends, and love can come and find him again through endless time.

This was one of the best books of 2023 for me and I totally recommend it.

 

About the author:

Maria Vale is a journalist who has worked for Publishers Weekly, Glamour, Redbook and the Philadelphia Inquirer. She's a double-Rita finalist whose books have been listed by Amazon, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, ALA Booklist & Kirkus among their Best Books of the Year. Trained as a medievalist, she persists in trying to shoehorn the language of Beowulf into things that don't really need it.

Blog Tour & ARC Review: "Black Rose" (The Dracula Duet #2) by Karina Halle

Black Rose by Karina Halle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

From the New York Times best-selling author of River of Shadows and Black Sunshine comes a new dark gothic romance duet about how love can transcend the ages, but at a deadly cost.

Is it her destiny to love him?

Or is it her destiny to die?

Valtu Aminoff is no stranger to tragedy. Though many know him as the enigmatic vampire that inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Valtu’s complex life is far more horrific than any fiction could imagine. When you lose the love of your life over and over again, it can do more than break your heart—it can corrupt your soul.
It's up to his new lover to decide if Valtu's damaged soul is even worth saving.

But destiny isn’t done with Valtu yet. And tragedy is always around the corner.

Black Rose is the sequel to Blood Orange and is not a standalone. Snap up this completed dark gothic vampire romance duet if you like:
High spice
Dark Academia
Gothic Setting
Vampires vs Witches
Spooky vibes
Reincarnated love
Dracula re-telling
Fantasy romance
Please check inside the book for content warnings.

"Every vampire has a sad love story to tell."

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AMAZON

REVIEW

I received an e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour. 

The much-anticipated sequel to Blood Orange is finally here! Kindly keep in mind that this review contains mild spoilers from the first book, which you can find my review of here.

After the events of the first book, Valtu tries to process his own grief but that leads to some decisions that in retrospect are quite wrong; grief is a beast on its own and we all need in some way to try and deal with it, but he uses the book to cast some quite impressive spells. When Rose, the daughter of Amethyst and Wolf finds him in Germany he will realize that fate will always find him and she will help him slowly but surely to discover his feelings for her.

Add in the impending danger of the witches who have found a way to slightly become immortal and you have an explosive mix of action, swoony/hot scenes, and the ending I really wanted. We do see some cameos which connect the previous books set into this world of vampires lovely so read from start to finish all of this is quite amazing.

Karina knows how to write books that grip you and do not let you go. On the other hand, my heart and prayers go to her as she had quite an eventful year and I could feel her own sadness sipping into the words of her story. I wish her from my heart to always be surrounded by love and to have the strength to move through her own grief.

About the author:

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Root Literary and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Connect with Karina:

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3LCSTIw

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2vo9pq4

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3LHKB21

Join her Reader Group: https://goo.gl/wpCBSS

Stay up to date with Karina by signing up for her newsletter here: https://goo.gl/Ve4eCh

Website: http://authorkarinahalle.com

 

Release Day Blitz: "Black Rose" (The Dracula Duet #2) by Karina Halle

 

Summary from Goodreads

From the New York Times best-selling author of River of Shadows and Black Sunshine comes a new dark gothic romance duet about how love can transcend the ages, but at a deadly cost.

Is it her destiny to love him?

Or is it her destiny to die?

Valtu Aminoff is no stranger to tragedy. Though many know him as the enigmatic vampire that inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Valtu’s complex life is far more horrific than any fiction could imagine. When you lose the love of your life over and over again, it can do more than break your heart—it can corrupt your soul.
It's up to his new lover to decide if Valtu's damaged soul is even worth saving.

But destiny isn’t done with Valtu yet. And tragedy is always around the corner.

Black Rose is the sequel to Blood Orange and is not a standalone. Snap up this completed dark gothic vampire romance duet if you like:
High spice
Dark Academia
Gothic Setting
Vampires vs Witches
Spooky vibes
Reincarnated love
Dracula re-telling
Fantasy romance
Please check inside the book for content warnings.

"Every vampire has a sad love story to tell."

                                      

AMAZON

THE DRACULA DUET SERIES

Meet Karina:

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Root Literary and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Connect with Karina:

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3LCSTIw

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2vo9pq4

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3LHKB21

Join her Reader Group: https://goo.gl/wpCBSS

Stay up to date with Karina by signing up for her newsletter here: https://goo.gl/Ve4eCh

Website: http://authorkarinahalle.com

 

Review: "A Rogue of One's Own" (A League of Extraordinary Women #2) by Evie Dunmore

A Rogue of One's Own by Evie Dunmore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

Lady Lucie is fuming. She and her band of Oxford suffragists have finally scraped together enough capital to control one of London’s major publishing houses, with one purpose: to use it in a coup against Parliament. But who could have predicted that the one person standing between her and success is her old nemesis, Lord Ballentine? Or that he would be willing to hand over the reins for an outrageous price—a night in her bed.

Lucie tempts Tristan like no other woman, burning him up with her fierceness and determination every time they clash. But as their battle of wills and words fans the flames of long-smouldering devotion, the silver-tongued seducer runs the risk of becoming caught in his own snare.

As Lucie tries to out-manoeuvre Tristan in the boardroom and the bedchamber, she soon discovers there’s truth in what the poets say: all is fair in love and war…

A lady must have money and an army of her own if she is to win a revolution - but first, she must pit her wits against the wiles of an irresistible rogue bent on wrecking her plans...and her heart.

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REVIEW

The second book of Evie Dunmore's series tackles Lady Lucie, the leader of the suffragette chapter in Oxbford and one very tough woman. Banished by her family, she makes ends up with different kinds of work but also is a strong believer or women's rights and most of all she finds ways to save them from abusive marriages.

Enter Tristan, Lord Ballentine a childhood frenemy, who has reasons of his own to become financially independent from his family. And what better way to do it than buying a publishing house to use it for his own books. There's one small hiccup; Lucie also wants the publishing house in order to promote to a wider audience her findings and propositions for the Married Women's Property Act, an amendment that would allow a married woman to remain autonomous instead of being wholly under the 'protection' of her new husband.

Which, taking into consideration that the century the book takes place, is radical on its own and has lots of enemies.

As Lucie and Tristan become more entangled with each other, they slowly realize that attraction burns hotter than hate.

There was one part of the book that I did not like; how Tristan thought he could get what he wanted but also his idea that he would be untouched by his feelings for Lucie. Dude, you were lying to yourself. But he learned his lesson the hardest way.

I loved, loved Lucie in this book. She is so strong and angry at the world on behalf of all women, she wants something better for them and for the future and she doesn't stay silent about it. Her friends are there supporting each other and I feel this is by far the best example of female friendship in the historical romance books I have read this year (as of now).

I loved how this book took us out of the glittering ballrooms and the cotton-candy ideas of a victorian marriage and make us see how in truth most marriages were actually a financial trade where a woman and her dowry were a purse for the husbands and that didn't always translate into a companionship but even to an abusive marriage.

The romance and yearning were off the charts. Evie knows how to write scenes that are both tender and sexy but also beautifully emotional.

I enjoyed this very much and my next review will be for my sweet Hattie!

And don't miss the rest books of this amazing series!

About the author:

Evie Dunmore is the USA TODAY Bestselling author of The League of Extraordinary Women series.

Sign up for bonus content & sneak peeks: www.eviedunmore.com/newsletter

Evie wrote The League of Extraordinary Women inspired by the magical scenery of Oxford and her passion for romance, women pioneers, and all things Victorian. In her civilian life, she is a strategy consultant with a M.Sc. in Diplomacy from Oxford. Scotland and the great outdoors have a special place in her heart, so she is frequently found climbing the Highlands and hunting for woolly tartan blankets. She is a member of the British Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA).

The best way to contact Evie is via Instagram

Review: "Bringing Down the Duke" (A League of Extraordinary Women, #1) by Evie Dunmore

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women's suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain's politics at the Queen's command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can't deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.

Sebastian is appalled to find a suffragist squad has infiltrated his ducal home, but the real threat is his impossible feelings for green-eyed beauty Annabelle. He is looking for a wife of equal standing to secure the legacy he has worked so hard to rebuild, not an outspoken commoner who could never be his duchess. But he wouldn't be the greatest strategist of the Kingdom if he couldn't claim this alluring bluestocking without the promise of a ring... or could he?

Locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own, Annabelle will learn just what it takes to topple a duke....

A stunning debut for author Evie Dunmore and her Oxford suffragists in which a fiercely independent vicar's daughter takes on a powerful duke in a fiery love story that threatens to upend the British social order.

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REVIEW

I admit that I was late for this party. I have been eyeing this series appearing on both my friends' social media and here so I decided to read the books back to back as by the time this review is being written so far three books have been published.

We begin in England, in 1879. Annabelle Archer who is very smart and thirsts for knowledge is destitute by social standards and also a woman, meaning that by gender isolation only she is not allowed to do many things. But lucky for her, she gets to go to Oxford University and study with a fellowship granted to her by the suffragette movement. All she has to do is attend the meetings and target wealthy and influential gentlemen who may support the cause for women's rights.

Enter the Duke of Montgomery, one of the most terrifying and influential men in the political scene who navigates politics under his Queen's Orders. His chance meeting with Annabelle and a series of encounters will lead them both to slowly gravitate toward one another.

There was so much slow burn here! I enjoyed this very much! I loved the writing and the realistic depictions of a woman's struggles in the Victorian era far removed from the rose-tinted glasses we usually see in period movies and dramas. It felt quite much like my university studies when we would discuss gender equality and how social standards, men-dominated societies, and misconception would lead bright women, amazingly strong women to be cast out of the social circles of their time.

I loved the friends Annabelle made, Catriona, Lucy, and Hattie. It was amazing seeing how they all come from different sides of life yet they become such great friends! Lucy in particular is also the leader of the movement's chapter and she deals with so much.

There is a wide bibliography, outside the fiction of the novel, that is very enlightening in this matter and I do implore you to take time and read it as it sheds light on this fight for equality which is (even now) an ongoing battle.

The romance was very well written, but the emotional struggle for both the Duke and Annabelle was off the charts and I plan to re-read this or listen to the audiobook.

Definitely recommended!

And don't miss the rest books of this amazing series!

About the author:

Evie Dunmore is the USA TODAY Bestselling author of The League of Extraordinary Women series.

Sign up for bonus content & sneak peeks: www.eviedunmore.com/newsletter

Evie wrote The League of Extraordinary Women inspired by the magical scenery of Oxford and her passion for romance, women pioneers, and all things Victorian. In her civilian life, she is a strategy consultant with a M.Sc. in Diplomacy from Oxford. Scotland and the great outdoors have a special place in her heart, so she is frequently found climbing the Highlands and hunting for woolly tartan blankets. She is a member of the British Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA).

The best way to contact Evie is via Instagram

Review: "Ship Wrecked" (Spoiler Alert, #3) by Olivia Dade

Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

After All the Feels and Spoiler Alert, Olivia Dade once again delivers a warm and wonderful romantic comedy about two co-stars who once had an incredible one-night stand—and after years of filming on the same remote island, are finally ready to yield to temptation again…

Maria’s one-night-stand—the thick-thighed, sexy Viking of a man she left without a word or a note—just reappeared. Apparently, Peter’s her surly Gods of the Gates co-star, and they’re about to spend the next six years filming on a desolate Irish island together. She still wants him…but he now wants nothing to do with her.

Peter knows this role could finally transform him from a forgettable character actor into a leading man. He also knows a failed relationship with Maria could poison the set, and he won’t sabotage his career for a woman who’s already walked away from him once. Given time, maybe they can be cooperative colleagues or friends—possibly even best friends—but not lovers again. No matter how much he aches for her.

For years, they don’t touch off-camera. But on their last night of filming, their mutual restraint finally shatters, and all their pent-up desire explodes into renewed passion. Too bad they still don’t have a future together, since Peter’s going back to Hollywood, while Maria’s returning to her native Sweden. She thinks she needs more than he can give her, but he’s determined to change her mind, and he’s spent the last six years waiting. Watching. Wanting.

His shipwrecked Swede doesn’t stand a chance.

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AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

REVIEW

Disclaimer: This review was for my Illumicrate copy and the special edition that complimented the first two books also re-designed by Illumicrate. My copy was yellow and blue, the outside of the pages was colored and there was also the autograph of the author. A gorgeous special edition indeed!

This series has been with me since 2020 when covid was in session, I was quarantined like the rest of the planet and I wanted some fluff. "Spoiler Alert" the first book of the series reminded me of my fanfiction Wattpad days where I would write and write and write and by then I had fallen in love with Olivia's characters.

Now close to 3 years later the series ends with this amazing final book about Maria and Peter, two people who have lots and lots of pent-up feelings for each other and yet circumstances force them to hide it.

So we begin with... one night stand where Peter, an actor who hopes to make his biggest success on tv is found with Maria, a Swede theatre actress who hopes to find a new job in the USA, hopefully also close to cinema or tv. Both have a great time and the next day they realize that both have been cast together to work for a fictional (for the book) show, similar to a "Game of Thrones" series.

Feelings aside and misunderstandings lead both Maria and Peter to Ireland where they will film their own part of the show for the next six years! As their muddled relationship morphs into a friendship both Maria and Peter will forge new friendships but also try to navigate their growing feelings of attraction for each other amidst Hollywood contracts, fan bases, and misogynistic and stupid producers.

The book was *chef's kiss* amazing. Peter was amazing with Maria and their dialogue was one of the funniest I have ever read. It felt so natural and true as if I was listening to them talking. The pacing was good and steady giving time to develop the characters' relationships and trials but what I loved most was the theme of found family, one not created by blood but of love and affection.

I can detect Olivia's Swedish camaraderie here and it was very funny to be able to see Sweden even from the eyes of Peter who, poor fellow, went there to meet with Maria's family.

The series ended in the best way I could ever hope, solidifying Olivia's amazing way of bringing unique yet realistic characters to life both with humor, love, and the trials that come with any relationship.

Definitely recommended and I plan to re-read it again

About the author:

While I was growing up, my mother kept a stack of books hidden in her closet. She told me I couldn't read them. So, naturally, whenever she left me alone for any length of time, I took them out and flipped through them. Those books raised quite a few questions in my prepubescent brain. Namely: 1) Why were there so many pirates? 2) Where did all the throbbing come from? 3) What was a "manhood"? 4) And why did the hero and heroine seem overcome by images of waves and fireworks every few pages, especially after an episode of mysterious throbbing in the hero's manhood?

Thirty or so years later, I have a few answers. 1) Because my mom apparently fancied pirates at that time. Now she hoards romances involving cowboys and babies. If a book cover features a shirtless man in a Stetson cradling an infant, her ovaries basically explode and her credit card emerges. I have a similar reaction to romances involving spinsters, governesses, and librarians. 2) His manhood. Also, her womanhood. 3) It's his "hard length," sometimes compared in terms of rigidity to iron. I prefer to use other names for it in my own writing. However, I am not picky when it comes to descriptions of iron-hard lengths. 4) Because explaining how an orgasm feels can prove difficult. Or maybe the couples all had sex on New Year's Eve at Cancun.

During those thirty years, I accomplished a few things. I graduated from Wake Forest University and earned my M.A. in American History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I worked at a variety of jobs that required me to bury my bawdiness and potty mouth under a demure exterior: costumed interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg, high school teacher, and librarian. But I always, always read romances. Funny, filthy, sweet--it didn't matter. I loved them all.

Now I'm writing my own romances with the encouragement of my husband and daughter. I have my own stack of books in my closet that I'd rather my daughter not read, at least not for a few years. I can swear whenever I want, except around said daughter. And I get to spend all day writing about love and iron-hard lengths.

So thank you, Mom, for perving so hard on pirates during my childhood. I owe you.

If you want to find out more about me or my books, you can sign up for my newsletter (https://go.oliviadade.com/Newsletter); come find me on Twitter (twitter.com/OliviaWrites), Facebook (facebook.com/OliviaDade), and my website (oliviadade.com)

ARC Review: "End of Story" (End of Story #1) by Kylie Scott

End of Story by Kylie Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

New York Times bestselling sensation Kylie Scott’s sexy, smart and unconventional opposites-attract love story looks at what happens when fate refuses to give up on what’s meant to be…

When Susie Bowen inherits a charming fixer-upper from her aunt, she’s excited to start living her best HGTV life. But when she opens the door to find that her contractor is none other than her ex’s best friend, Lars—the same man who witnessed their humiliating public breakup six months ago—she isn’t exactly eager to have anyone around whose alliance is with the enemy. But beggars can’t be choosers, and the sooner the repairs are done, the sooner she can get back to embracing singledom.

Things go from awkward to unbelievable when Lars discovers a divorce certificate hidden in a wall and dated ten years in the future—with both their names on it. It couldn’t possibly be real…could it? As Susie and Lars work to unravel the document’s origins, the impossibility of a spark between them suddenly doesn’t seem so far-fetched. But would a relationship between them be doomed before it’s even begun?

“Sweet and spicy—the unique setup, top-notch banter and charming enigma had me hooked.” —Anna E. Collins, author of Love at First Spite

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AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

REVIEW

I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 

There is nothing that I love more than a touch of magical realism set in a contemporary romance. And this is what happens in this upcoming gem by Kylie Scott. When Susie, after having broken up with her boyfriend and nursing her wounds, finds that she has inherited a house by her aunt, she moves there and tries to fiz up the place.

But she didn't count on meeting Lars, her ex's best friend.

Neither did they count on discovering a divorce certificate, with their names on top of it...set 10 years in the future.

As they try to navigate the search on finding if this is a trick or even contemplate that time travel exists, they will slowly come closer to each other as both Susie and Lars have different mindsets and also try to navigate their relationships with their friends and family.

As opposites attract this was a delightful and emotional read. I enjoy Kylie's writing and her characters and Susie with Lars is quite a good example of how one's standards may need to take a step back and in all relationships, people sometimes need also to take a step back and lean towards their partners.

The mystery with the divorce certificate was quite a good twist and I enjoyed seeing them trying to discover what was behind this...or even if indeed they had a touch with destiny or fate.

Definitely recommended as everything on Kylie's backlist always is by me. :)

About the author:

Kylie is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best-selling, Audie Award winning Romance author.

Website: http://www.kyliescott.com

ARC Review: "The Reluctant Countess" (Would-Be Wallflowers #2) by Eloisa James

The Reluctant Countess by Eloisa James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James returns to the Would-Be Wallflowers series with an enemies-to-lovers romance between a proper earl and an entirely improper lady--whom he can't stop thinking about.

Giles Renwick, Earl of Lilford, has never made a fool of himself over a woman--until he meets Lady Yasmin Regnier. Yasmin is ineligible for his attentions in every way: not as a wife, certainly not as a mistress (she is a lady!), nor even as a friend, since they vehemently dislike each other. Her gowns are too low, and her skirts are dampened to cling to admittedly lovely thighs. She loves to gossip--and giggle.

She isn't dignified, or polite, or even truly British, given that her father's French ancestry clearly predominated. Not to mention the fact that her mother had been one of Napoleon's mistresses, a fact she makes no effort to hide.

So what--in heaven's name--possesses him to propose?

And what will he do if she says yes?

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REVIEW

I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 

This was a great surprise. I was approved for an ARC of one of Eloisa Jame's books and I could be happier! When Beauty tamed the Beast is one of my top favorite historical romances and The Reluctant Countess made me very happy.

So we have Giles, the Earl of Lilford who tries to hold onto the reputation of his family's good name or whatever is left of it and on the other hand, we have Lady Yasmin a gorgeous French woman with a past that riles up the gossip in the stuffy higher British society. Honestly, if even half of what we read in these books was true those aristocrats were worse than the trashiest social media.

So our stuffy Earl is looking for a proper wife, one who can fix his family's tarnished reputation, but he can't help but be attracted to Yasmin. Add in a sister who needed some good slaps into her system, a grandpa who is quite awesome and a strong pure female friendship and you have a signature Eloisa James novel with its funny moments and the angst which we all love.

I enjoyed Yasmin; she is truly a character who has her issues from the past she suffered from, but she grows as a person and finds her own worth despite what society wants to label her as. Giles needed some shocks to his system to wake up but I'll forgive him as he manages to save face.

This is a delightful read and if you like historical romances then this is for you. Not to mention that the cover is so pretty!

About the author:

New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James writes historical romances for HarperCollins Publishers. Her novels have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa's very first book that she "found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar"; later People Magazine raved that "romance writing does not get much better than this." Her novels have repeatedly received starred reviews from Publishers' Weekly and Library Journal and regularly appear on the best-seller lists.

After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. Currently she is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University in New York City. Her "double life" is a source of fascination to the media and her readers. In her professorial guise, she's written a New York Times op-ed defending romance, as well as articles published everywhere from women's magazines such as More to writers' journals such as the Romance Writers' Report.

Cover Reveal: "City of Darkness" (Underworld Gods #3) by Karina Halle

 

Welcome to the cover reveal of City of Darkness, the hotly-anticipated 3rd book in Karina Halle's Underworld Gods series, designed by Hang Le. This is a dark fantasy adult romance that's heavy on spice and based on spooky Finnish mythology, inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Labyrinth, with Hades and Persephone vibes. 

 City of Darkness releases January 30th 2023, which gives you plenty of time to start with book 1 River of Shadows, and book 2 Crown of Crimson, also available in KU.

                   

Pre-order your copy today!

Amazon

Add CITY OF DARKNESS to Goodreads 

Meet Karina:

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Root Literary and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Connect with Karina:

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3LCSTIw

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2vo9pq4

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Website: http://authorkarinahalle.com

 

Review: "Raven Unveiled" (Fallen Empire #3) by Grace Draven

Raven Unveiled by Grace Draven
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

A woman with the gift to speak to the dead—and the assassin pursuing her—may be the only chance a crumbling empire has of holding back true evil, in this electrifying fantasy romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Radiance.

Siora has been on the run for longer than she cares to remember, from her past and her gift. Born with the ability to see and speak to ghosts, she has heard their desperate pleas as an otherworldly predator stalks the dead amid the fertile killing fields of the collapsing Krael Empire. The creature’s power and reach are growing with every soul it consumes, but Siora is preoccupied with her own troubles: namely an assassin who has sworn an oath of vengeance against her.

Gharek of Cabast was once the right-hand man of the reviled empress but is now a wanted fugitive. Although his reasons for hunting Siora are viscerally personal, what Gharek can’t anticipate is that when he finally does find her, she will hold the key to saving his world, or what’s left of it. To make good on old debts and protect the vulnerable dead from a malevolent force, Gharek and Siora will both need to make an ally out of an enemy—and trust that will be enough to save each other.

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REVIEW

The final book of the Fallen Empire series takes across a war-torn crumbling world where a man seeks revenge against a woman whose eyes see more than they should.

The Krael Empire has fallen and Gharek, the now-burnt-to a crisp- Empress is seeking Siora the woman whom he had trusted with his daughter's caretaking and who to his eyes had betrayed his trust. Siora on the other hand has the ability to see ghosts and their pleas lead her toward an old abandoned city where a sinister force is seeking to devour everything both dead and alive.

As politics and danger bring both of them together they will need to put away their old feuds in favor of both saving their lives and that of the child they both care about.

I always enjoy Grace's writing, there is a strong sense of world-building and the characters are never lost in it. You can understand how their feeling affects those around them and the setting enhances those scenes. Gharek and Siora were amazing; both flawed both tortured by the past but both love so fiercely even if they do not want to admit it to each other. I enjoyed this book as much as I had the others. While for some plot-wise there is not much action there is this sense of urgency that drives them to beat this unseen enemy.

This was a very satisfying ending to a series that could easily be on par with other fantasy-based worlds of Empires, ruthless emperors, and people filled with magic who love fiercely. Definitely recommended

                                           


About the author:

Grace Draven is a Louisiana native living in Texas with her husband, kids and a big, doofus dog. She has loved storytelling since forever and is a fan of the fictional bad boy. She is the winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice for Best Fantasy Romance of 2014 and 2016, and a USA Today Bestselling author.

ARC Review: "A Light in the Flame" (Flesh and Fire #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

A Light in the Flame by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes book two in her Flesh and Fire series…

The only one who can save Sera now is the one she spent her life planning to kill.

The truth about Sera’s plan is out, shattering the fragile trust forged between her and Nyktos. Surrounded by those distrustful of her, all Sera has is her duty. She will do anything to end Kolis, the false King of Gods, and his tyrannical rule of Iliseeum, thus stopping the threat he poses to the mortal realm.

Nyktos has a plan, though, and as they work together, the last thing they need is the undeniable, scorching passion that continues to ignite between them. Sera cannot afford to fall for the tortured Primal, not when a life no longer bound to a destiny she never wanted is more attainable than ever. But memories of their shared pleasure and unrivaled desire are a siren’s call impossible to resist.

And as Sera begins to realize that she wants to be more than a Consort in name only, the danger surrounding them intensifies. The attacks on the Shadowlands are increasing, and when Kolis summons them to Court, a whole new risk becomes apparent. The Primal power of Life is growing inside her, pushing her closer to the end of her Culling. And without Nyktos’s love—an emotion he’s incapable of feeling—she won’t survive her Ascension. That is if she even makes it to her Ascension and Kolis doesn’t get to her first. Because time is running out. For both her and the realms.

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REVIEW

I received an e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. This review contains minor spoilers from previous books.

WARNING: It is best to read the series from Blood and Ash and then begin the prequel series as many points in the prequel series may make sense regarding the main books.

Oh boy...where to begin, where to begin. It took me close to two weeks to gather my thoughts on this book and find the guts to write a review that explains why I am still in a deep pit of feelings that no one can -still- understand and also try to not spoiler anything.

No pressure.

A Light in the Flame picks up shortly after the events of the first book, where Sera's true purpose is revealed and despite the distrust she gets from Nyktos's court...well she is right. Being brought up as a weapon and not a human being can cause lots of issues in any human psyche. And that is where we find Sera throughout the book.

On a gradual journey to uncover the mystery behind a way to save their world from the Rot, usurp Kolis, restore the balance between Life and Death, and not die in the process, all the while battling her feelings for Nyktos and trying to see the value in her own self through the eyes of others.

I loved the character development here. For it felt like the plot was going quite slowly but it was within those scenes that you could get hints of various plot crumbs here and there. I love Nektas the dude has no filter for a drakken and baby Jadis and Reaver were adorable. Did I also get some Rhysand-feels when I read about Nyktos transforming into...something? (insert anime screaming here).

And the battles were great too and very well described. Not to mention the....intimate moments *wink wink*

Another part I did get the chance to read about was Kolis's court. That Primal is indeed really nuts and crazy. Not to mention that by the time the ending was drawing near I became more and more anxious about what would happen because while the book was a gradual and steady development, the last chapters were a rollercoaster of emotions and revelations that left me crying.

The ending as mentioned was a cliffhanger and I am still not ok. Will I survive it? I survived Jennifer's Opal when it had first come out and that is a statement :P

Absolutely recommended and I can not wait for you to read it when it releases!

And don't miss the first book of the prequel series and the starting point of From Blood and Ash series

About the author:

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.