Good morning, friends! Coming at you with a couple of books I’ve read recently--
The Star & the Strange Moon by Constance Sayers. This book has such a spooky, interesting premise: a man named Christopher has been drawn to a famous actress who mysteriously disappeared years ago, in the midst of acting a scene on film. In the decades since, the woman has appeared in a revised version of the original film that only a small, secret group of people are invited to—including Christopher, eventually—and no one knows how, or why, etc. This book starts off so strong & compelling—I was so excited about where it was going—& then the ending gets more wobbly for me. But I think the way the author captures Gemma’s 1960s life, her career ambitions & her relationship with a rocker, are so fun & captivating, & I loved the initial unraveling of the mystery. 4⭐️. Out 11/14. (Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.) Luke & Billy Finally Get a Clue by Cat Sebastian. I’m gonna be excited about any Cat Sebastian release & this book is so soft & sweet & lovely that it left me with so many heart smiles. Luke & Billy are baseball teammates & friends & Billy is in near panicky feelings about the fact that Luke disappeared for weeks after sustaining a concussion. Luke shows up at Billy’s family home & what we have is a beautiful novella with lots of communication, some steam, & just a wonderful love story. 5⭐️. Out now.
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Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC and the publisher for the complimentary hardcopies. All opinions provided are my own. After refamiliarizing myself with Rachel Gillig’s Shepherd King world I dove right in & got lost again in this story filled with secrets, power, & attempts to outmaneuver villains. Book 1, One Dark Window, is such a great entrance to the series & book 2 Two Twisted Crowns picks back up where it left off, with our heroine Elspeth’s body having been taking over by the Nightmare who’s lived inside her for the last many years. A former king who was violently taken out, The Nightmare is one of the people responsible for the current nasty state of affairs in the kingdom of Blunder & someone who wants to find the missing magical cards that have caused so much trouble. This book is very much about quests & so many of the characters have one, some journey or goal in mind. In the background is The Mist, which can drive people mad, & the horrible Rowan king & oldest Prince, who care only about their power. This duology features complex characters—good people who have done not so nice things for various reasons & good people who might be able to snatch some happiness from the many forces against them. To that end, Two Twisted Crowns offers something unexpected, a blossoming romance between the younger prince Elm & Ione, formerly engaged to his brother & currently emotionally trapped by the Maiden card. The romance is sweet & steamy & I was so happy to watch another couple fall in love in this series . It’s always hard for me to review a series after the first book but the bottom line is this is such a great series & you should definitely check it out if you enjoy some falling in love with your fantasy. 5⭐️. Out 10/17.CWs: lots of violence in this book. Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs for more detail.
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Despite the fact that it took me so long to read (#moodreaderlife ), The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon is so good, so intense, so very perched on the knife’s edge. As so many others have said the enemies to lovers designation really applies in this fantasy, & not in a cutesy way. Talasyn & Alaric have been on opposing sides in a long war with many casualties, including people close to them both. They meet at a couple of different moments before their arranged betrothal (!) & the magical weapons fly between them. But despite their animosity & the fact that their past is so bloody & complicated—& that he in particular is part of an Empire bent on taking &/or destroying anything it wants in its quest—the leads actually have a lot in common, not to mention a mutual attraction. These complicated feelings are not miraculously solved by their betrothal & book 2 will hopefully do a lot of emotional work that picks up where this one leaves off. Not only is this book compelling on the action-front, the emotions & the deeper backstories & feelings that run through Talasyn & Alaric are strikingly crafted. Each of them is complex, not one-note, & I can’t wait to see what happens in book 2. 5⭐️. Out now!Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.A coven of deathwalking witches who have to set themselves on fire in order to patrol the Veil; a terrifying Warden who uses his army of soulless, half-masked soldiers to control it all; a heroine who sets herself on fire so she can save her sister… Tonight, I Burn by Katharine J. Adams is such an inventive story with so many striking elements that viscerally hold you in check. Penny, the protagonist, is a deathwalking witch who finds herself going farther against the Warden than she ever suspected she would in order to protect her sister & the other people she loves. As she plans in secret & then with the help of others, she also develops feelings for two different people, a man & a woman, & she opens up some of the closed-box tension surrounding her own family. This book is very much leading up to another which is good because it feels like some things are left unfinished. I would have liked more with Penny’s romantic relationships, which do get steamy but which also feel separate in a way I didn’t totally appreciate. But witch fans, rejoice, here’s another witchy offering for us to celebrate the glorious season of fall. 4⭐️. Out 11/07.Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.
Thanks to the author for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Eliza McLane’s holiday novellas are so good, you all: they include outrageous amounts of sexual tension, MCs who are living their best lives sexually, and big emotional breakthroughs that contribute to the HEA. These novellas never feel like they’re missing a big part of the emotional story—they feel complete & full & that’s such a nice feeling to walk away with after you’ve flown through a novella. In Haunted Hookup, Alice is finally getting to visit the reputedly haunted house she’s spent so long researching. She’s been invited to join a house party of sorts & serve as a tour guide. The first night of the ball includes so much wish fulfillment (thank you, Eliza!) & I was like wow, it goes there, & yes, this is fun! It turns out that Alice actually knows the very attractive masked stranger who makes her toes curl & what follows is a lovely & hot exploration of what might have been & still could be if they follow their hearts. There is a ghost in this book & some thrills but it’s mostly a sad/wistful kind of ghost story that runs a nice parallel to Alice’s own. This book is great fun, like Eliza’s others. Check it out if you’re looking for Halloween vibes or a hero with chest hair or some great communication or some restraint play. 4.5⭐️. Out 10/10.Please see a trusted reviewer's list of CWs.
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