Review: "At First Spite" (Harlot's Bay #1) by Olivia Dade

At First Spite by Olivia Dade
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

Bestselling author Olivia Dade welcomes you to Harlot's Bay in this delightfully sexy rom-com about a woman who buys the town's famous Spite House, only to realize the infuriating man she can't stand lives right next door--and their unwilling proximity might spark something neither can ignore.

When Athena Greydon's fiancé ends their engagement, she has no choice but to move into the Spite House she recklessly bought him as a wedding gift. This is a problem, for several reasons: The house, originally built as a brick middle finger to the neighbors, is only ten feet wide. Her ex's home is attached to hers. And Dr. Matthew Vine the Freaking Third (aka the uptight, judgmental jerk who convinced his younger brother to leave her) is living on the other side, only a four-foot alley away.

If she has to see Matthew every time she looks out her windows, she might as well have some fun with the situation--by, say, playing erotic audiobooks at top volume with the windows open. A woman living in a Spite House is basically obligated to get petty payback however she can, right?

Unfortunately, loathing Matthew proves more difficult than anticipated. He helps her move. He listens. And he's kind of...hot? Dammit.

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REVIEW

You can never go wrong with an Olivia Dade book! Her stories are like a bottle of water after walking in a desert for a long while. There is always something beautiful and vulnerable in her stories and characters which stays with you long after the story is over.

Our story takes place at an engagement party where Athena is about to celebrate her upcoming nuptials with her fiance. What she does not count on is the sizzling attraction she feels towards Matthew..whom she later discovers is her fiance's brother, who also does not approve of the wedding.

Fast forward a few months and Athena has bought the house she was supposed to share with her fiance...who also happens to be her neighbor along with Matthew who is also her neighbor! Chaos, comedy, and very funny moments ensue but as Athena tries to navigate the new town she lives in, tries to find a job but also moves through the heartache and growing depression over her life choices, she will realize that she can have far more friends and find love in the most unexpected places.

I loved, no adored her growing attraction to Matthew. That man deserves the world and his backstory was very tragic. He shoulders everything and despite his misgivings, all came from a place of love, despite being taken for granted, especially from his brother.

This story is a delightful tale of healing and going through depression which also something Olivia Dade touches upon with the most respectful way. Matthew did everything to help her, he freaking climbed three stories of a house and he is terrified of heights!

This book is one of my top for 2024 and totally recommended!

About the author:

Olivia Dade grew up an undeniable nerd, prone to ignoring the world around her as she read any book she could find. Her favorites, though, were always, always romances. As an adult, she earned an M.A. in American history and worked in a variety of jobs that required the donning of actual pants: Colonial Williamsburg interpreter, high school teacher, academic tutor, and (of course) librarian. Now, however, she has finally achieved her lifelong goal of wearing pajamas all day as a hermit-like writer and enthusiastic hag. She currently lives outside Stockholm with her delightful family and their ever-burgeoning collection of books.

*******

If you want to find me online, here’s where to go!

Website: https://oliviadade.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OliviaWrites

Newsletter: https://go.oliviadade.com/Newsletter

Review: "House of Flame and Shadow" (Crescent City #3 ) by Sarah J. Maas

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

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

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

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

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

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AMAZON | BLACKWELL'S

REVIEW

This review contains spoilers from the previous books of Crescent City and of A Court of Thorns and Roses series (while you are at it read Throne of Glass too). It is very very advised to read them all before reading this book. Please do not proceed with this review if you have not read the books, you have been warned. ;)

Following the plot bomb that Sarah J Maas dropped to all of us last year, I was very, very anxious to get to the final book. Not to mention freaking excited. I avoided social media like the plague to save myself from spoilers and it took me a week to finish the book. (carrying this brick of a book around is no easy feat I assure you, lol)

The story begins from where it left us, with the Asteri trying to locate Bryce after she jumped into the strange Rift portal and got lost in the...multiverse (?), with Lidia having to bear the pain of seeing Ruhn, Hunt, and Baxian being tortured by Pollux...and her. Yeah, not a nice place to be with.

Meanwhile, Bryce herself is a 'guest' of the Night Court in Prythian and she embarks on a journey with Azriel and Nesta in order to discover the connection of the Asteri with Prythian and her own world. Add in the stories of all the side characters, like Ithan, Tharion, and the sprites and you get quite the big tapestry of stories that need to be told and resolved.

Plot-wise this book has lots of action scenes, amazing chemistry, and lots and lots of lore bombs. I enjoyed reading about how they all tried to get back together, the connection of Hunt and the Hel Princes and how the Asteri were feared beyond worlds to the point of being planet devourers, that is some crazy stuff. The chemistry between Ruhn and Lidia was amazing. The chase scene has me gripping the book, fearing for her, and Ruhn with Lidia needed that reflection on both their actions. Lidia's sacrifices were beyond tragic, especially considering how many years she had to endure the Triarii and Pollux.

On the other hand, I have a lot to say about some other characters. Tharion was someone whom I wanted to hug most of the time and punch him too for his carelessness. He could learn a thing or two from the others, but he was not without any redeeming qualities. He did stand up on the River Quuenn in the end and grew as a character, especially after we see him tie the knot with Sathia.

Ithan my wolf boi....you were a pile of mistake upon mistake, but you did the amazing thing in the end and stood up. I loved how his character also progressed from a person full of wrong decisions but with pride and selfishness that rivaled most of the characters here.

The missing star on this book goes to Bryce. While I could understand her fear of being thrown into a different universe I did not like her way of doing things at all in this book. She always presented herself as ignorant but lo and behold she had a plan all along! But without confining to anyone in the meantime, not even Hunt. This is funny because it is mentioned by many in the book how Bryce shows herself as not having power or presenting herself as weak, but in the back of her mind, she has a plan after another plan.

To add more salt to the wound? She treats horribly Nesta and Azriel, the two characters I am very invested in from the other series. Nesta sure got her HEA, but Azriel is one whose story I am very eager to read. Additionally, Bryce did another most UNO reverse move I didn't expect! She traded her parents for the Mask?! I mean Sue she wanted the power but WHO THROWS THEIR PARENTS INTO A GATE TO THE OTHER SIDE HUH?

As for the final chapters they were filled with amazing action but by that point, I was more invested in Ruhn and Lidia rather than Bryce and Hunt (Hunt is still lick-worthy I tell you that). Plus we also got the bomb that Lidia is a long, long, many times removed cousin to ...Aelin Galathynius? I did not expect that! Which made me crazy with speculations of a possible crossover with that world.

The end of the book does leave us with to open plots for me.

One if Tharion who is left outside the Meat Market, in his beginning to search for Sathia and Bryce who gives the Mask back to Nesta and tells her to search for the possible connections between their world... or other ones.

To be honest, this book was an amazing rollercoaster ride but if you count out the audacity of Bryce's character, all of it is freaking amazing.

Plus, I am all here for the future crossover between SJM's worlds.

And don't miss the first two books of the series!

About the author:

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Crescent City, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the Throne of Glass series. Her books have sold more than twelve million copies and are published in thirty-seven languages. A New York native, Sarah lives in Philadelphia with her husband, son, and dog. To find out more, visit sarahjmaas.com or follow @therealsjmaas on Instagram.

ARC Review: "Visions of Flesh & Blood: A Blood and Ash/Flesh and Fire Compendium (Blood and Ash, #5.5)" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Visions of Flesh and Blood: A Blood and Ash/Flesh and Fire Compendium by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

VISIONS OF FLESH AND BLOOD: a Blood and Ash/Flesh and Fire Compendium is a comprehensive companion guide for background, history, reader-favorite information, art, and reference materials. Combined with original short stories and scenes from some of the world’s most beloved characters, as well as never-before-seen visual enticements, it’s a treat for the senses.

Told from the point of view of Miss Willa herself, the compendium acts like research material but reads like a journal and cache of personal notes, allowing the reader to revisit the characters and history they so love yet view things in a different way.

VISIONS OF FLESH AND BLOOD by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any Blood and Ash/Flesh and Fire fan will enjoy.

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AMAZON | WATERSTONES

REVIEW

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

It is a rare chance to read a compendium of a fictional world. Make it a world made by my favorite Jennifer Armentrout and I am sold! What I need to stress here is the fact that this book is only a compilation of information and summaries of the characters' lives set in both prequel and main series, sparkled with extra short stories, interviews, and amazing art as also maps.

Well, technically it is Miss Willa writing everything who is also a character from the series and the author of the spicy diary Poppy loves to read. Through her words, we see how the mythology of the Primals and the gods was created and how the story of Sera, Ash, and Kolis (characters from the Flesh and Fire series) unfolded without giving spoilers if someone has not read the prequel series.

Personally, I laughed at the Kierran interview, and the stories Willa says about herself and her commentary on Poppy and Cas. The art for Poppy, Cas, and Kierran is top quality. My favorite was also that of Vonetta and Emil too! There are also some minor developments like letters addressed to characters and descriptions of the world.

Despite being a compendium it is very well structured and can be easily read. Needless to say it works as a perfect addition to both series because anyone can read the summary of the plot so far (in the time this review is written the final books of the prequel and main series have not been published yet). That way someone can enjoy both what they need to know and get the eye candy which is the art, maps, and Willa's steamy stories.

In conclusion, this is the perfect part that adds to the world-building of this massive series by Jennifer Armentrout and personally, I can not wait for the final books!

                                


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. 

Cover Reveal: "Rise of the Melody" by Wendy Higgins

 I am delighted to reveal the cover for the upcoming book by one of my favorite authors Wendy Higgins! Find more info below!

Summary

From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the YA paranormal Sweet Evil series comes a modern fantasy romance of mystery with Celtic and Gaelic mythology.

Seventeen-year-old Colette “Letty” MacIntyre has everything going for her: a great life with her Aunt Lorna in Brooklyn, a promising singing career, and enough distractions to forget the tragic disappearance of her parents. She’s banking on a bright future in the city until strange things begin to happen. People are suddenly having peculiar reactions to her singing voice, and a giant wolfhound starts following her like a lost puppy. But the cherry on top is when the mayor of her long-forgotten birthplace, Shehan, a town on a mountainous island off the craggy northern coast of Maine, shows up on her doorstep with an impossible revelation: the folklore stories she grew up hearing are real. Letty is the last land siren on Earth…and he needs her help.

An escaped kelpie—a monstrous water horse—is terrorizing Shehan, and Letty’s voice is the only thing that can stop it. Despite the shock at learning her heritage, Letty returns to the island, which is filled with as much mystery as it is fog. She wants answers to her parents’ disappearance as well as a chance to prove herself. But in a race of mighty druids and formidable Scottish witches, Letty’s power is an anomaly, feared and reviled by the mystic community. Her lineage must be kept secret. It becomes even harder to fulfil these tasks when a new enemy threatens her—an alluring, powerful druid boy filled with darkness who would just as soon kill her as kiss her.

Will her deadly melody be enough to save the town and herself?

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About the author:

Wendy Higgins is the USA Today and NY Times bestselling author of the SWEET EVIL series from HarperTeen, the high fantasy duology THE GREAT HUNT, her independently published Irish Fantasy SEE ME, and her indie NA science fiction UNKNOWN trilogy.

After earning a Creative Writing degree from George Mason University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, Wendy taught high school English until achieving her dream job as a full-time writer.

ARC Review: "A Fragile Enchantment" by Allison Saft

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

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

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

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

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

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AMAZON | WATERSTONES

REVIEW

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

Tackling 2024 with this lovely YA book, set in a magical world where emotions can be woven into cloth, blights can be made just with a thought and social class is everything.

Niamh is a dressmaker born with the rare ability to weave emotions to the clothes she makes. Living in a region conquered by Avaland she is invited to the royal palace to create the wedding ceremonial clothes of the Prince and Princess. But Prince Kit is abrasive and does not wish to marry, while Niamh is battling with her own secret; her magic is sapping her of her life force.

Add in the political unrest due to the disparities between classes; both will have to deal with that and their growing feelings for each other.

I enjoyed the Victorian-era-inspired world; the descriptions were beautiful and the setting unique. It has been a while since a YA book held my attention, and I may return to the category again. My only issue was with how sometimes Niamh would act like a ten-year-old, quick to judge by appearances and not look into the core of the issue, despite starting as a character who had the seriousness of the situation. There was character development, especially from Kit's side which I liked as also from the King and the rest of the secondary characters.

The ending was also good and felt complete.

Recommended for the lovely descriptions and the magic woven into them.

About the author:

Allison Saft is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic and Down Comes the Night. After receiving her MA in English Literature from Tulane University, she moved from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast, where she spends her time rolling on eight wheels and practicing aerial silks. She lives with her partner and an Italian greyhound named Marzipan.