ashleynoelle's reviews
765 reviews

 *Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.*

"It was terrifying, monstrous, these people thinking they could obliterate history and culture and reinvent it the way it suited them. My father wanted us to see it so that we could understand what was coming.”

Juliet has started her new job as Deputy Librarian at the Bethel Green Library during World War 2. She's determined to breathe some life into it regardless of the challenges she comes across. Katie is one of the library volunteers who Juliet has taken under her wing and embraced as part of her world, when Katie's boyfriend dies while fighting at the front Katie realizes she's not only grieving but has a secret she is hiding as well. Sophie is a refugee that sees the library as a haven. When the library is bombed, Juliet moves it all to the underground and keeps it running and keep the spirits of their community alive!

This was a great book. I've read a ton of WWII historical fiction novels and this one felt like I was in it with them. This one didn't yank on my heartstrings quite as much as some others, but there were definite moments of loss, love and friendship that were all very well done. I wish I could have jumped into the book and screamed at Juliet about Victor because she really did have her head in the clouds on that one, but overall, this book is really well done, and I enjoyed myself while reading it. 

 “The best thing you can be for her is a safe space. You are where she heals from trauma, not where it seethes.”

With their wedding approaching they should be celebrating, but instead Hades is attempting to find the beast that will give the triad power over the Gods, all while trying to maneuver obtaining Zeus' blessing for his marriage to Persephone. He doesn't know who is and isn't on his side anymore. Meanwhile Dionysus and Ariadne are trying to find a way to free her sister and help Hades stop an impending war against the Gods. Now that Hades has finally found happiness, he will do anything to keep it.

I really liked getting to see some new perspectives in this book. Dionysus' POV was a lot of fun to read, getting a whole new bit of backstory of one of the other Gods felt like it brought some further depth to this world. Getting some Theseus POV, even though he is the literal worst, was also kind of enjoyable. I liked getting into his messed up head a bit and felt like it added another layer to the story. I can't wait to jump into the finale because the cliffhanger was painful! 

“Remind me to make you smile like that again, when you aren't dying, and I have all the time in the world to memorize it.”

The kingdom of Ilya is a kingdom of Elites, people with extraordinary powers, but not everyone was blessed with power, these people are just ordinary. To preserve his elite society the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished, making people like Paedyn illegal to live in the city. She learned how to survive regardless, and when she accidentally saves the life of one of the princes she has to put all of those skills to work in the purging trials. The trials are designed to show off the abilities of the elites, but Paedyn doesn't have any abilities, and if the royals find out, they will certainly kill her. 

This book gave off some definite hunger games vibes with the trials aspect to it but I think it was different enough and fun enough to be worth the read! I really enjoyed this, the YA slow burn was a really fun change from my normal pace and I was a bit nervous about it, but it was completely worth it! The banter between the two main characters was absolutely phenomenal!

 “She’s the brightest shining light in the dark. The second star on the right.”

With a surprise visit from the fairy who started it all, Winnie and her boys are fighting a war they never thought they would have to fight. With a new foe to contend with they are now negotiating some politics that none of them wanted to deal with and figure out how to balance out the lives they want to live with the responsibilities they are forced with. Some powers will be transferred and some will be lost, but no matter what happens they will face it together.

I really enjoyed the conclusion to this series. I feel like it wrapped up nicely and still left a little room for more to come without being a completely open ending. The amount of plot balances out the smut which is still super spicy, but again, there is still a story here which I appreciate! I still standby my thoughts that this could have easily been a duology, but I also now understand why the author broke these books up like she did. 

 “Meeting you in that bar is the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m free now. Free to love, free to live. You’re amazing, Rachel Price. You’re a gift.”

A collection of short stories, most of which take place after the epilogue of Pucking Around, one of which takes place while Rachel is with Mars before the boys show up with Ice Cream.

I will admit, I liked this better than Pucking Around. I really enjoyed getting to see some of the characters have some personality outside of the smut and the story in the grocery store with Jake and Caleb was quite possibly my favorite moment in this series so far. 

“Nature was a violent mistress, her beauty a mask to hide her cruelty.”

Prince Envy has entered into a dangerous game, one he has to win in order to save his failing court. When the game brings him to Camilla he can't help but find the allure of her sharp tongue intriguing. Camilla enjoys her life as an artist and when Envy somehow gets her into a tangle she can't get out of on her own, she agrees to a bargain with him in order to avoid a scandal. Together they navigate the game and it's mystery players, hexed objects and riddles. Taking them through not only the human realm, but to the demon realm, the vampire court and to the land of the Fae. All the while trying to dance around their growing attraction to each other. 

I LOVE being in this world again, and I'm so happy she decided to write about the other Princes. Envy was one of my favorites from the original trilogy so this was the perfect way to start this series in my opinion. My next favorite is Sloth, so here is hoping she will write his book soon! Emilia and Wrath's story was one of my favorites, and I'm not sure Envy and Camilla topped them, but it was fantastic still. 

 

“Sometimes the forbidden fruit is just too sweet not to bite.”

Greer and Ash met ten years ago and had an immediate connection that neither of them could completely shake. When he sees her again for the first time in years, those feelings come rushing back and he has to see her. He sends his best friend to convince her to meet with him, not knowing they have history of their own. When Greer and Ash start up a scintillating relationship, it gets difficult to keep her feelings for his best friend at bay, but they have to come up with a solution quick, because not only has Greer agreed to be Ash's wife, but scandal has to be avoided because Ash is also the President.

This was kind of a wild ride. I personally really like a non-linear timeline, so the flashbacks didn't bother me like they seemed to bother some people. I actually quite enjoyed them. What had me feeling a little off with this one was the love triangle, which ends up being okay, but for most of the book it had me feeling itchy. Not sure why I have these horrid reactions to love triangles, but I do and sometimes it is hard to move past them, but I successfully got over it and am fairly excited to read the next book. That cliffhanger got me for sure!

 

 “I remember you telling me when I was younger that a man without a library is a man without romance in his soul.”

AIDAN is learning how to observe and react to human behavior. The AI we love to hate is working with people to understand how to make decisions based on the best interests of the fleet prior to coming to the aid of Karenza IV. One programmer in particular comes to realize that there is something off about the AI, but the higher ups aren't listening and AIDAN is on a path to spinning out of control.

This was the perfect little novella, I don't think I would recommend reading it first. I much preferred it as a come back and read after the trilogy even though chronologically it takes place before the events of the first book. Of course, there is no surprise that I loved being back in this world and getting to see where all the craziness truly began. 

“I see tonight she’s chosen violence.”

Winnie is starting to get used to life in Neverland when things get interesting yet again. The Crocodile, who happens to be Vane's older and scarier brother shows up with the Darkland royal family to take back the shadow that Vane possesses. With what seems like a war on the horizon, Winnie is also trying to navigate some strange things happening to herself. She has been blacking out and forgetting small stretches of time and she doesn't know why!

I'm still enjoying these and am looking forward to the final one, but with that said I still think they are too short and should have been combined into a duology or something. I'm liking that there is a plot here and didn't realize how important that was to me until I read a book with pretty much no plot and all smut. This series does a good job of having both even if the writing style can sometimes feel a little underdeveloped. 

 “I will pick Darling over my own wings because with her I am already flying. She is mine and I am hers.”

Pan's shadow has been found, but it slipped his hands and to his shock, was hidden with another shadow as well. They now have to hunt it down in Neverland while trying to navigate through the politics of the land. The Fae queen has declared her intentions to take Pan down and Captain Hook has joined in to help her do it! Meanwhile Winnie is still finding her place amongst the lost boys and figuring out if Vane will ever not hate her.

This was still a very good read, but I stand by my statement in the last book that this could easily have been combined with the first one to create one larger book. The cliffhanger here felt less abrupt than book one and I am really enjoying the politics that have really come into play. Everyone seems to be fighting for power in some way, but I do wish it was a bit more fleshed out as to why...some of these players feel like they have no backstory and even when they do, it's not enough to make me really believe they care as much as they do.