phoenixfaie's reviews
433 reviews

Rose & Fionns story was EVERYTHING, I cried, I laughed, I cried some more.

I just want to thank Brynne and her team for providing me with an ARC to review. 

All opinions are my own. 

Whew... I can't believe we are already at the end of the ruinous love Trilogy, I have adored both B&B and L&L, and I adore S&S (not really a surprise though is it) 

Brynne has outdone herself with this novel, I'm not sure if it's just me but I do think that S&S feels darker than the two previous novels, it still has the comedy and sass that is just "Brynne" so you will likely find yourself laughing, crying, laughing some more, feeling a little hot under the collar and needing a cold shower because Dr Kane is utterly filthy in all of the best ways 🥵🥵🫠. 

S&S spans over a longer time period than B&B and L&L, so we do experience some of those events, but from Rose & Fionns perspective- like Rose meeting Sloane and "Man-guy" for the first time. 

While domestic abuse isnt shown on the page it is a content warning and you can honestly feel the anger rolling off Rose when she knows that something is going on behind closed doors, I could genuinely feel the anger rising in me during certain scenes. I have to say I loved the little mention of Guilia Tofana and a brief  history of Aqua Tofana. 

I remember mentioning this in my L&L review in regards to Lark and Lachlan, but both Fionn and Rose have their own distinctive voices and personalities, and they really came across on the pages. 

Also, it is my headcanon that Rose, Sloane & Lark have monthly craft evenings together, and you won't convince me otherwise. Do I have a reason for believing this? Not really, but i want it to be true. 

I also just have to say this Trilogy is more than 3 different romantic relationships, there is a real sense of "found family" obviously the Kane brothers would go to the ends of the earth for one and other anyway but adding Rose, Sloane and Lark (and Winston, Bentley & Barbara) really united everything.

The epilogues are certainly interesting; I highly suggest not skipping them, I dont want to give too much away so soon, but I do hope we see a standalone "spin off", as I feel like the ending has the possibility.

I was lucky to be approved for an ARC of Rekindling the Flame after seeing the author post on threads. 

Madison Myers is completely new to me but she had me sold when I saw that the tropes listed were: 
 🍁Small-town
 ✨Second-chance at first love
 🍁Hookup pact
 ✨Outdoor + public spice
 🍁Family drama
 ✨Fall vibes
 🍁Banter
 ✨City girl goes back to the mountains 

Now I will be honest, there were times where Aurora would test my patience because I desperately wanted to know why she had run away all those years ago, I needed to know why there was so much animosity between her and Lexi. We do eventually find out why and it really did feel like a whole weight was lifted. 

When it comes to spice and book boyfriends... well Wyatt Grady has earned himself a place on my list, that man has a dirty mouth and mind and I am HERE FOR IT. 

One thing I did not expect when reading this was to be brought to tears MULTIPLE TIMES! I kid you not, there were times where I would have to put my kindle down because I could not read through the tears. 
 It's not just second chance at romantic love but it was also a second chance at familial love and rebuilding those relationships. 

Both characters Aurora and Wyatt have their own distinctive voice when it comes to their chapters, when we start the novel in Auroras pov, the writing style feels quite "prim and proper"  because she was the New York version of herself, as the novel progressed I did notice a change in style as Aurora became more comfortable back at Smoky Heights 

Whereas with Wyatt as soon as we meet him the style is as gruff as I imagine his voice to be and you might think that there are typos and odd words missing but I feel like it is written exactly how Wyatt would be thinking, we even see a change in style as the rekindled relationship with Aurora progresses. 

I definitely went through so many feelings when reading this, I laughed, I cried, I needed a cold shower or some time alone. 😉 

The only things I weren't really keen on were the HP references although I imagine if you haven't seen your sibling in over a decade it might be the only pop culture you know you are both familiar with, and the iphone/android arguments (but I am an android gal, much to my brothers dismay) 

But all in all I think this was an enjoyable read and I am interested to see more of Madisons work in the future 

First of all I would like to thank netgalley and the publishers at Harper North for providing me with an ARC. 

What can I say about Kindling without giving too much away? I loved the diverse characters, whether they were neurodivergent, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, disabled; Bonnie Woods (also I love the pen name as it is just so fitting for this novel) did her best to be inclusive without being patronising. 

There is a small amount of angst towards the end, at which point I was so attached to these characters that it honestly hurt my heart; luckily this is resolved before the end of the novel- As the internet says, I was  "kicking my feet and giggling" . 

The level of spice fluctuates throughout the novel, some scenes had me biting my lip- the cove and the chopping block ifykyk ;) but I wouldn't say any of it overpowered the plot. 

As a plus sized woman who struggles with body dysmorphia it was refreshing to read about a plus sized woman who is desired, at no point could you read Kindling and say "oh well I see Harper as a size 10" we have many occasions where Fraser enjoys her curves, and honestly it is SO important for readers to be able to see themselves reflected in a character. 

I honestly could say so much about this novel and how I adored it and the messages within but I think I will let readers experience it for themselves. 

This has all the cosy autumnal and spicy vibes, so go grab your favourite seasonal beverage and curl up with Kindling. 

I just want to thank Brynne and the publishers Zando for providing me with an E-arc of Leather & Lark. 

Leather & Lark is the 2nd book in The Ruinous Love Trilogy and follows the "enemies to lovers" story of Lachlan Kane and Lark Montague...  

If you enjoyed Butcher & Blackbird then you should love this, don't worry though Lachlan and Lark aren't Rowan & Sloane 2.0, they are very much their own characters with entirely different personalities that we only glimpsed in Butcher & Blackbird. 

Leather & Lark has the same humour and sarcasm that you would expect from Brynne, the spice is Spicing- and very much a slow burn; but my god is it worth it!
The development of Lark & Lachlans relationship feels so real, Brynne really does have a way of making you connect to her characters, you honestly end up feeling like you *know* these characters and you just want the best for them. 
You feel their pain, their trauma, their joy, their love, their humour, I'm still chuckling at "Budget Batman" among maaaany other things.

This is primarily told through Lark and Lachlans POV but we do also have a phantom POV sprinkled throughout (sprinkled like glitter... get it? Hopefully you'll get that terrible pun when you are lucky enough to read L&L) 

I honestly can't wait for the official publication of L&L.

This gets a 3.5 from me... the smut was a bit cringey but given that it was released in the early 2000s and romance was mainly mills & boon office romance or "historical" women in flowy gowns and men with long hair with their shirts ripped open posed in front of a sunset... you all know the type of book cover I'm describing, this would have been the "book club book of the month" is it a thriller is it a rom-com? It's a bit of both. 

The actual murderer did surprise me a bit as I had my suspects narrowed down to two and it was neither of them. 

All in all this was an easy read/audiobook to listen to but there are definitely phrases that wouldn't pass if it was written now so if you do decide to give it a go keep that in mind, we can't judge a book written years ago by today's standards (even if we don't agree with some of the content)