Tag Archives: book blog

Unknown's avatar

Romance Review: Ever After Always

by

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Ever After Always
By Chloe Liese
🎧 Narrated by: Nelson Hobbs, CJ Bloom 
Series: Bergman Brothers, Book 3
Book 32 of 2024

**series info**

The Bergmans are a close knit family, so you will see a lot of the previous couples and allude to their story, so I think they are best read in order. Book 1 was a 4 star for me because it had a couple of slow spots, but book 2 is one of my favorite books that I’ve ever read, so they are worth your time!

**book review**

I thought this was a beautiful romance about a marriage in crisis. It utilized therapy well, and really showed how two people could love each other and still not understand how to show love to each other as time went on. 

Aiden’s anxiety representation I thought was well done, and Liese showed the way an anxious brain can catastrophize situations. I don’t remember depictions of panic attacks, if that’s something you’re sensitive too!

🎧 Duo Nelson Hobbs and CJ Bloom continue to do fantastic work narrating the Bergman brothers. The books are well suited to audio format, with very natural sounding dialogue and descriptions. 

[book synopsis]

The TikTok sensation, now with new exclusive content!

A marriage-in-crisis rekindles its passion in this second chance romance about going the distance to make love last.

Freya Bergman has spent a dozen years loving Aiden and never thought they’d find their marriage on the rocks. He’s her partner and best friend, the person she knows she can count on most. Until one day Freya realizes the man she married is nowhere to be found. Now Aiden is quiet and withdrawn, and as the months wear on, the growing distance between them becomes too much to bear.

Aiden would spend a dozen lifetimes making his wife happy. But the one thing that will make her happiest is the one thing he’s not sure he can give a baby. With the pressure of providing and planning for a family, his anxiety is at an all-time high. They’re drifting apart and he doesn’t know how to change the tide.  

As if weathering marriage counseling wasn’t enough, Freya and Aiden are thrown together for a Bergman family island getaway. Will this trip help them finally work through their trouble in paradise, or be the final wave that tows them under?

Unknown's avatar

February 2024 Reading Wrap UP

by

February was a great month of reading, but not a great month health wise. I had my worst crash of my Long Covid journey, and have been recovering for most of the month. I’m extra thankful for books and book friends for keeping my spirits up when things were extra hard! 

Photo 1: My physical reads

Photo 2: Reading Goal Check in

Reading Goals:
💖 Physical TBR: 7 of 6 
💖 Total read: 18 / total brought into my house: 25 – closer to equal but still very much not 
💖 Diverse Authors: 9 of 7 planned
💖 ARCs: 6 of 8 planned 
💖 BOTM: 1 of 1

Photo 3: ARCs

Photo 4: Diverse Author / Book breakdown (could be diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, physical difference, neurodiversity, or something else!)

Photo 5: March plans

See my Instagram pinned posts for information on the two challenges!

All the books

Key:
😍 Reread
📖 physical/ebook
🎧 Audiobook
📖🎧 = mix of both
📓 ARC / ALC 
🖋 Reviewed 
📚 Series
🖤 BIPOC Author
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ+ Representation
🗣️ Mind, Body, Spirit Representation

I have linked to my own review if you want to read more!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖🎧🖋📚 Eleven Scandals to Start…
📖🎧🖋📚🗣️ Always Only You 
📖📓📚🖤 Kiss the Girl
📖📚 Deja Brew

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
📖🎧🖋📚🖤 Rebel
📖🎧🖋📚 Castle of Dusk and Shadows
📖🎧📓🖋📚🏳️‍🌈 One Night in Hartswood
📖🎧📚 Blood & Steel

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖🎧📓🖋📚 Ruthless Vows
📖🎧🖋📚🖤 The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes
📖🎧📚🗣️ Six Scorched Roses
📖🎧📚🖤 Wild Rain
📖🎧📚 The Highlander Who Protected Me 

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
📖📚 Mastering the Marquess 

⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖🎧📓📚🗣️ Fangirl Down (skip the audiobook, read with eyes!)
📖🎧📓 Here in Avalon (lit fic readers might like it more than I did)

⭐️⭐️
📖🎧📓🖋 The Breakup Tour

QotD: What was your favorite read in February? Do we have any books in common? Do you have any goals for March?

Unknown's avatar

Historical Romance Review: One Night in Hartswood

by

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Thanks again to TLC Book Tours, Harper 360, & Emma Denny for my review / book tour copy – I finally read it!

One Night in Hartswood
By Emma Denny
🎧 Narrated by: Tom Alexander, Sebastian Humphreys
Book 21 of 2024

*chit chat semi related to the book*

We all know I read more with my ears than my eyes, so I’ve been waiting for my library to get the audiobook of this one…but they took too long so I finally got it from Libro! Some of my amazing booksta friends pooled money for my birthday and got me a year’s worth of credits! (For a normal person. A month’s worth for me, probably. Either way, an incredibly thoughtful gift!) I am really bad about hoarding audiobook credits because I have definitely gone through 4 in a week before. But now I have 15 so I probably should use them. 

*review*

I don’t know if it’s because of the 500 times I watched The Princess Bride or the popularity of the vibes in fantasy books, but I find the medieval period to be SO romantic. It is an under utilized time period in romance books, so I was so excited when I was offered a copy of One Night in Hartswood! 

This was a little bit of a slow burn with SO MUCH pining. And accidentally cuddling for body heat while traveling through the woods.  I absolutely loved it.

Check out the pinned comment for the plot synopsis. 

🎧 Raff’s voice is so swoony. Highly recommend.

[book synopsis]

Oxford 1360

When his sister’s betrothed vanishes the night before her politically arranged marriage, Raff Barden must track and return the elusive groom to restore his family’s honour. William de Foucart ― known to his friends as Penn ― had no choice but to abandon his fiancé, and with it his own earldom, when he fled the night before his enforced marriage. But ill-equipped to survive on the run he must trust the kindness of a stranger, Raff, to help him escape. Unaware their fates are already entwined, their unexpected bond deepens into a far more precious relationship, one that will test all that they hold dear. And when secrets are finally revealed, both men must decide what they will risk for the one they love…

Unknown's avatar

Romance Review: Always Only You

by

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Always Only You
By Chloe Liese
Bergman Brothers, Book 2 
🎧 Narrated by: Nelson Hobbs & CJ Bloom
Book 20 of 2024

Nope. this is it. Ren is the perfect book boyfriend. I should just stop reading now. I will never find better.

Thank you to everyone in the Romance ARC group chat that has gushed over the Bergman Brothers for years until I finally picked them up! This is the second book in the series, and you could read it without reading the first, but the characters that are introduced in book 1 show up, so it’s a little more fun if you already know them. I did think that Book 1 had some pacing issues, but was overall good and worth the read! 

Frankie is the social media manager for the hockey team that Ren plays for. Ren has been hopelessly infatuated with her since the day that she started, but would never in a million years try anything because they are coworkers. 

But…one night when the team is at a post-game bar hangout…a teammate crosses the line with Frankie and Ren gets all *protective* …and ends up driving her home…and omg oh no her apartment was broken into so THE ONLY CHOICE is for her to go home with him. Obviously. 

Forced proximity + Forbidden + Grumpy / Sunshine = perfection

Each of the main characters holds such a special place in my heart. Ren is our sunshine character and while he may appear hyper-masculine, being a professional hockey player, he also has such a soft side. He runs a Shakespeare club and loves so fiercely and I just love him so much.

Frankie is hyper independent, especially after her diagnosis with a chronic illness in her teens made her mom overprotective. As someone with a disabling (but not terminal) illness, her internal journey was so powerful and I related so strongly to her difficulty with allowing people to take care of her. 

QotD: (choose one or all)
– Who was the last character that you strongly related to?
– What series are you working your way through or waiting for a new release for? 

[book synopsis]

It’s an office romance on the ice rink in this heart melting story about love’s power not in spite of difference but because of it.

Ren has known Frankie Zeferino was a woman worth waiting for since the moment they met. She’s a master of deadpan delivery, has a secret heart of gold, and a rare one-dimpled smile that makes his knees go weak. But as long as Frankie’s the team’s social media manager, she’s off limits.

Frankie is a self-admittedly blunt, grumbly grump, but even she isn’t immune to sunshiney Ren Bergman. Who could be, when he’s a six-foot-three hunk of happy with a hockey player’s physique? Maybe in the past, Frankie would have gone for a guy like him, but since being burned too many times by people who learn about her diagnoses and see a problem, not a person, she’s wised up.

After waiting years for the right time to make his move, Ren learns Frankie plans to leave the team to pursue a new career. But what he didn’t anticipate is how hard he’ll have to work to convince her to let him have his shot at winning her heart.

Unknown's avatar

Spoiler Free Fantasy Review: House of Flame and Shadow

by

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

*No spoilers – just vibes* 

House of Flame and Shadow
By Sarah J. Maas
🎧 Narrated by: Elizabeth Evans
Book 13 of 2024

I have an instagram post with my advice about starting with the world of SJM, and after finishing Crescent City 3: House of Flame and Shadow, I stand by it. I think you will get the *best* reading experience reading the first 3 ACOTAR, all of TOG, the next 2 ACOTAR, and then the Crescent City series. The worlds build on each other, so I think that’s the simplest way to read and be able to catch all of the Easter Eggs sprinkled throughout the worlds.

The Crescent City series is urban fantasy, which I hadn’t read a lot of before diving in, and at first I didn’t like it. Fae, Angels, Demons, Wolf Shifters…and cell phones? And as we often see with SJM heroines, Bryce doesn’t really begin the books as her best self. But it went from jarring – the modern language, the swearing, and again – the cell phones – to something I was absolutely in love with. Bryce is the kind of sassy heroine that I fell in love with reading about since I was a kid, and she reminded me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who is one of my favorite fictional characters. 

I think Book 1 is entirely from Bryce’s POV, but by Book 2 we have multi-POVs. Book 3 switches around even in the middle of chapters, so I think reading it in print is really helpful. However, Maas does well starting each POV clearly, and Elizabeth Evans’ narration makes it pretty clear who we’re following. While I felt like Book 1 had SO MUCH worldbuilding, and Book 2 had SO MUCH hanging out and learning about characters, Book 3 was straight action. The characters didn’t always make decisions that I agreed with, but they were decisions that were true to who they are as people. Overall, it was a very satisfying experience! 

I think what makes reading SJM so fun is the fandom surrounding it. As someone who grew up reading Harry Potter, I crave having a series that I’m reading as it comes out that I can make fan theories about and talk about with other readers. I sometimes wonder if I’m really a true fantasy fan or if I just like to join the fandom of 1-3 ongoing series and ignore the rest of the fantasy books that are being published! 

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Fable buddy read! And thank you to all of the people who held my hand through my SJM journey!

Unknown's avatar

Historical Romance Review: Rebel

by

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Rebel
By Beverly Jenkins
🎧 Narrated by: Kim Staunton
Book 18 of 2024

**random ramblings**
I signed up for too many ARCs in January & February and I am so overwhelmed currently that I have found myself reading nothing but backlist books. This was my third book in a row that was published in 2021 or earlier. Please tell me I’m not the only one who occasionally goes full head in the sand about their book commitments. Hopefully next week I’ll start to get back to it! 

**review** 
This was my first book by Beverly Jenkins, but definitely won’t be my last! Captain LeVeq is now one of my top tier boyfriends. 

I like my romances, especially historical romances, to be fairly cozy. Bad things can happen and villains can exist as long as I don’t ever feel like the characters are ACTUALLY in danger or truly isolated. Jenkins brilliantly toed this line. The LeVeq family is the absolute best and I would like them to adopt me please. But the historical setting also felt accurate to the time – New Orleans after the Civil War – and showed the worst of humanity alongside the best. You may want to check the content warnings on this one. 

My favorite female main characters are strong, independent, and intelligent and Valinda was all of these things. She came to New Orleans to help teach the newly emancipated community, and seemed like the absolute best kind of teacher. 

🎧 I loved all of the voices Kim Staunton created for the story, but found some of the narration to be a little monotone. It might be that I had it turned up too fast and I wasn’t hearing all of the nuances though. 

[ book synopsis ]

The first novel in USA Today Bestselling Author Beverly Jenkins’ compelling new series follows a Northern woman south in the chaotic aftermath of the Civil War…

Valinda Lacey’s mission in the steamy heart of New Orleans is to help the newly emancipated community survive and flourish. But soon she discovers that here, freedom can also mean danger. When thugs destroy the school she has set up and then target her, Valinda runs for her life—and straight into the arms of Captain Drake LeVeq.

As an architect from an old New Orleans family, Drake has a deeply personal interest in rebuilding the city. Raised by strong women, he recognizes Valinda’s determination. And he can’t stop admiring—or wanting—her. But when Valinda’s father demands she return home to marry a man she doesn’t love, her daring rebellion draws Drake into an irresistible intrigue.

Unknown's avatar

Historical Romance Review: Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart

by

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart
By Sarah MacLean
🎧 Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik 
Love by Numbers, Book 3 
Book 16 of 2024

I absolutely love Sarah MacLean’s historical romances. I do think the original covers of these are a little cringey, maybe I’m more of a discreet cover person? But don’t let the cover fool you – this book is amazing.

You do not have to read these books in order, but I think when you do you get to know the characters more and are even more excited for their books. Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart follows Julianna, half sister to the men in the first two books. 

This is an utterly engrossing opposites attract romance. Julianna is looked down on by the ‘ton because of her mother’s scandalous past, and also because she is half Italian. If you like your female leads feisty, passionate, and independent, you’ll absolutely love this one!

[book synopsis]

There is no telling where a scandal might lead…

She lives for passion.

Bold, impulsive, and a magnet for trouble, Juliana Fiori is no simpering English miss. She refuses to play by society’s rules: she speaks her mind, cares nothing for the approval of the ton, and can throw a punch with remarkable accuracy. Her scandalous nature makes her a favorite subject of London’s most practiced gossips… and precisely the kind of woman the Duke of Leighton wants far far away from him.

He swears by reputation.

Scandal is the last thing Simon Pearson has room for in his well-ordered world. The Duke of Disdain is too focused on keeping his title untainted and his secrets unknown. But when he discovers Juliana hiding in his carriage late one evening—risking everything he holds dear—he swears to teach the reckless beauty a lesson in propriety.

She has other plans, however; she wants two weeks to prove that even an unflappable duke is not above passion.

Unknown's avatar

Out on a Limb

by

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Thank you to Libro.fm for my review ALC!

These two were just SO swoony!!! 

The thing you have to know going in is that this book centers around a surprise pregnancy after a one night stand…so if that’s gonna give you a bad vibe, this might not be for you.

Win and Bo just take SUCH good care of each other. I don’t know how else to describe this. It’s so beautiful, and there’s funny moments, and the side characters are also amazing. 

Just go read it, please. The audiobook is fantastic, so however you choose to consume your books you are in for a treat! 

[book synopsis ]

Winnifred “Win” McNulty has always been wildly independent. Not one to be coddled for her limb difference, Win has spent most of her life trying to prove that she can do it all on her own. And, with some minor adjustments, she’s done just fine.

That is until she has a one-night stand with the incredibly charming Bo, a perfect stranger. And that one night changes everything.

While Bo is surprisingly elated to step up to the plate, Win finds herself unsure of whether she can handle this new challenge on her own or if she’ll need a helping hand.

Together, Win and Bo decide to get to know one another as friends and nothing more. But, as they both should know by now, life rarely goes according to plan.

Unknown's avatar

Fantasy Review: The Bone Season

by

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

The Bone Season
Samantha Shannon 
🎧 Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins
Book 3  of 2024

This is one of my good friend’s FAVORITE books, so when she decided to put a readalong together for the 10th anniversary edition, I jumped at the chance to read it with her!

I have been meaning to read this book for…years. Lucky for me, Dominique let me know all about Shannon’s plans to rewrite the books in this series and rerelease them, starting last year. So, if you don’t have a Dom in your life to keep you updated, what you need to know is that the new editions have a lot more added to them than the original books. So the 10th Anniversary edition isn’t just pretty…it’s kind of mandatory reading if you want to continue with the series!

The Bone Season has one of the most unique worlds I have read. It is complex and a little dense, but filled with absolutely fascinating characters. 

As is often my complaint…I could have used a little more romance – some pining, some longing looks, some grand gestures, SOMETHING. But that is not what Shannon was going for, so if you’re into books with lots of action, then you’ll love this one!

It kind of gives me Six of Crows meets Red Rising vibes, so I should probably give it to my husband to read…

[ book synopsis ]

The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: is to scout for information by breaking into people’s minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant, and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.

It is raining the day her life changes forever. Attacked, drugged, and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford – a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.

The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine and also introduces an extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut.