 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.
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 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Clare Gilmore’s Love Interest dazzled me. I adore this contemporary—it has everything I want. Like: —a rivals to lovers workplace sitch where he doesn’t realize that he got the job she applied for. Her dislike of him is further fueled by the fact that he’s the board chairman’s son & she smells nepotism. —a spectacles-wearing hero. Need I say more?! —a financial analyst heroine who worries about her legacy as the daughter of creative-minded parents & who wants to be scared/excited again when it comes to putting herself out there —humor. There’s an only one bed line that really cracked me up. —so much heart & realness. References to previous “gastrointestinal turbulence” & needing deodorant (for those who appreciate things like that) & also the sweetest moments where she has to continually extricate herself from his warm snuggles & pee in the middle of the night & he teases her & she’s like “I have a small bladder.” These characters are so well-developed & not only the central relationship between Casey & Alex shines, so do the secondary ones. I love the portrayal of friendship & the queer rep, & basically everything about this authentic-feeling, fresh, intimate, & joyous story. 5⭐️. Out 10/10.CWs: Sexual harassment. Grief. Emotionally negligent parent. Reference to past chlamydia.
 Hi and welcome to my blog tour stop for Raquel Vasquez Gilliland's Witch of Wild Things! A big thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Summary.Sage Flores has been running from her family—and their “gifts”—ever since her younger sister Sky died. Eight years later, Sage reluctantly returns to her hometown. Like slipping into an old, comforting sweater, Sage takes back her job at Cranberry Rose Company and uses her ability to communicate with plants to discover unusual heritage specimens in the surrounding lands. What should be a simple task is complicated by her partner in botany sleuthing: Tennessee Reyes. He broke her heart in high school, and she never fully recovered. Working together is reminding her of all their past tender, genuine moments—and new feelings for this mature sexy man are starting to take root in her heart. With rare plants to find, a dead sister who keeps bringing her coffee, and another sister whose anger fills the sky with lightning, Sage doesn’t have time for romance. But being with Tenn is like standing in the middle of a field on the cusp of a summer thunderstorm—supercharged and inevitable.  [ID: Jess’s white hand holds the ebook in front of a mural of 3 flowers on a slate colored brick wall: a yellow sunflower, a yellow coneflower, & what might be a pink peony.]My review.Witch of Wild Things is one of those gorgeous witch stories. In it, family, home, friendship, love, *& the natural world* are celebrated & important to MC Sage’s well-being & happiness. They’re not things she’s been actively pursuing in the past though—she’s been running from most of them actually, ever since her sister died, leaving her & her remaining sister estranged & Sage with no desire to stay at home. When she’s forced to return, she has to eventually deal with all of it, including her past feelings for a teenage crush who left her broken-hearted. Witch of Wild Things is a lovely story of so many things: finding & choosing your person, being a good friend, taking responsibility, taking care of & respecting the environment & the natural world. I have a new affinity for mushrooms after reading this one. The writing is lyrical in moments but there’s also a striking romance arc including a moment where the MMC takes up for her with a pissy park ranger. Tennessee Reyes is a great balance of hot, understanding, & sensitive & I approve. This is one of those well-rounded witchy reads that will satisfy on the physical & emotional fronts. While a couple things with the plot left me with a bit of the “huh” feeling, overall this is such a sweet & wonderful & whimsical & earthy read that satisfied. 4⭐️. Out 09/12.CWs: Previous loss of sister. Parental abandonment. Loss of mom. A secondary character is outed as victim of abuse. Sage is fired after ending a physical relationship with her boss. Are you in the mood for a witchy read yet? Let me know what you think about this one and thanks for stopping by!   Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.If the title includes witches I’m down & Ava Morgyn’s The Witches of Bone Hill offers a sometimes darkly engrossing story that’s ultimately hopeful & sister-focused. Cordelia is facing a lot of problems when the book begins, including the end of her marriage to a man who exploited her & cheated on her & the imminent sale of her home so she can try to settle the debts he left her with. But wait, there’s even more trouble waiting for her & she hopes the house & inheritance that the family she never really knew left her will help. She goes to Bone Hill, owned by the aunt she didn’t know IRL, & reconnects with the sister she’s been largely estranged from in recent years. There she meets the groundskeeper Gordon & realizes there are lots of family secrets just waiting to be uncovered. There’s a good creepy factor to this book for those looking for thrills, & family secrets just keep pouring out of the woodwork. Betrayal & history & a house that shows she & her sister are part of a larger family even if their mother wanted to act like they weren’t. This one kept my attention & I liked how everything wrapped up so hopefully. 3.5⭐️. Out 09/26. CWs: Death of mother. Mutilation. Cancer. Mob threat. Reference to oppid addiction.
 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Ali Hazelwood’s switching it up with a YA romance that also has some of the things she’s known for, including a reserved hero who’s hard for the heroine to read. Check & Mate has a lot to offer and Hazelwood’s voice translates to YA *so* well. Protagonist Mallory Greenleaf is a witty delight of a heroine who can play chess with tremendous skill, though she’s chosen not to play in years after some family turmoil. But life intervenes & she ends up making grandmaster Nolan Sawyer’s jaw fall to the floor, quite a feat since he is—as I said earlier—reserved, implacable, & doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. For a bit at least. Mallory is a powerhouse lead, doing what she can to provide for her family & take care of her mother who has Rheumatoid Arthritis. She’s a boss & the way she does whatever it takes is admirable, even more so when she follows her heart. There’s bisexual rep** in this one, a hero who makes some pretty sweet gestures, & an exploration of misogyny in the world of chess. I don’t know anything about chess but this is a really great read that made me excited to see what Ali Hazelwood will write next! 4.5⭐️. Out 11/07. ** Edited: I removed a note regarding “demisexual rep” in this review. Thanks to a question from an Instgram commenter I went back to the book & I think I made some assumptions that maybe I shouldn’t have. The hero has never had sex before & hasn’t had interest “until recently” & meeting the heroine. But I’m not sure that his seemingly unique sexual attraction to her is predicated on their emotional connection and the book never uses the word demisexual. My sincere apologies for any confusion I caused with those assumptions / errors!
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