wendeedeedee36's reviews
228 reviews

Oh. My. GOODNESS! I thought I loved Hurricane Wars, but then I read this! It is SOOO freaking good! The drama, the slow burn and its  inevitable climax (pun very much intended), and the surprises. Everything was bumped up about 10 notches for this book and I was here for it! Tala and Alaric are just amazing. Their arguing and banter is the best. I especially love when they manage to do that during intense, near death moments. It gives off Legolas and Gimli vibes, but sexier (or maybe not if you’re a Gimlas shipper). I feel like this book had really great moments of comedic relief and I loved it. The plot itself was fascinating and continued to catch me by surprise a few times. I really like the Voidfell twist, and I would love to see that somehow play out more as the series continues.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Thea Guanzon for the ARC opportunity! 🫶🏻 After the ending I basically need book 3 immediately. Pretty please? 😆

This story is super cute and heartwarming. It’s the ultimate Rivals/Enemies to Lovers and Grump x Sunshine combo and I ate it up. I highly recommend checking this out if you’re a fan of Elena Armas because it gives very similar vibes, which is always a plus in my book! I loved that this had a story within the story and how it was used to convey the main characters’ feelings. Sometimes expressing yourself is hard and writing it is easier, and I think it is cool that Katie Holt showcased this in her story. The romantic tension is absolutely delicious and build up to the spice so well! 
This is not my first book narrated by Frankie Corzo, and as always she knocks it out of the park. Her emotions are wonderful she captures the essence of the characters heritage. I always love listening to her Spanish, and her voice in general is very soothing. 
All in all, this was a great book and I look forward to finding more stories from Holt! 

A.N. Caudle has done it again! This book is so intense. It picks up right where we left off on the cliffhanger, and it just takes you on a whole roller coaster of emotions. The multiple POVs and stories taking place keep you on your toes and second guessing your theories the whole time. The characters and their trials make you want to cry and scream, and really just give them some much needed hugs. Truly, everyone is dealing with some burden, and the mental health rep gets HEAVY. It’s all so worth it though because the character growth that comes out of it is impressively written. We also get a lot more spice in this story, as well as a touch of dark romance. The final chapters were heartwarming, but also very dramatic. The ending had me kicking myself for abandoning an original theory I had at the start. Ultimately, this was an amazing book with just enough of a cliffhanger to have me wanting more, but not enough for me to despair at having to wait. 

This book absolutely captivated me! I was hooked from the start and it stayed that way until the very end. The writing was so smooth and very well done (which if you know me isn’t something I often take note of). The world building and setup were super intriguing, and the election process in this story is also very unique. I really like Lessia. She’s tough and clever, and for the first time ever, she’s an FMC who doesn’t know how to fight! That was an unexpected and rather refreshing character trait. Loche grows on you and the romantic tension/slow burn is absolutely delicious. That said, I found myself growing to like Merrick a lot as well. I just have a feeling about him and I how I am right in the end. The climax of this story had me freaking out and procrastinating finishing because I could tell someone epic shit was about to go down. I was not disappointed and now I am dying to get my hands on the next book. 

This sequel was really interesting in its development because it picks up where we left off in The Other Side of the Mirror. It is therefore immediately high tension and a good amount of action. It was a little similar to book one, but I love that Eva is a badass who steps up for herself when she needs to. After that, it actually levels out to a very mild plot for a good portion of the book where it’s mostly coping with trauma, relationship development, and planning for next steps. It wasn’t bad, but I started anticipating more action again before it actually happened. That said, when the action kicked in it was a lot of drama and it developed very quickly. It was super intense and I LOVED how it resolved. The surprise at the climax was awesome. The ending itself was very sweet. I was actually wondering about halfway through the book how this was going to continue as a trilogy, and based on how this one ended, I’m very excited to see what comes next.

This was an interesting concept. The serialized story within the story was definitely the spicier bit of the book, and entertaining. The parallels between it and Patricia circumstances made it connect well with the main plot. I also enjoyed the hint of mystery to the storyline, although the resolution felt slightly anticlimactic. Patricia and Thomas’ dynamic felt a little too spontaneous for me at the start but grew in me as the story developed. Patricia is a fairly standard Historical Romance FMC: I little naive and very stubborn. I did like the backstory of how she ended up in the peerage and would consider reading the book about her brother to see more of it.

Allie Rose does a great job with the narration. She definitely captured the young, energetic vibes of Patricia, but also managed to bring Thomas’ more solemn and tormented energy to life as well.

Overall, this is a fun and diverting story that is good for something looking for entertainment without too much heavy plot to track. 

What a wonderful start to a series! This checked all the boxes for a good Romantasy, while still managing to maintain a sense of uniqueness. I definitely got ACOTAR and A Dawn of Onyx vibes, but with a little hint of portal fantasy as well. The dialogue was fun and witty, and the overall prose flowed nicely. Nothing super flowery and still engaging. 
Eva is a compelling FMC in that she has her own hang up’s she’s dealing with, and isn’t just a surprised warrior with no flaws. Her propensity to consider everything as a betrayal wore on me a little towards the end but she luckily worked through issues quickly enough to make up for it. Bash is a great addition to the shadow daddy club and I cannot wait to see more from him. I really enjoyed Rivan and Yael as well, with their loyalty to Bash and willingness to be kind to Eva from the start. 
The twists and turns in the plot were fairly predictable and yet I was still riveted at the end. I need to know what happens next so thank goodness I have the ARC of The Mirror in the Mountain.

I ate this book up! It was so perfect for a holiday read. As with all O’Malley books I’ve read, there was a touch of whimsy and banter that had me smiling and happy for almost the entire story. I loved the cozy vibes and the quaint town of Kingsbarns. Rosie is weird and endearing. Alexander is awkward and sexy. Not sure I’ll consider programmers the same from now on. Throw in a shoulder fetish, a haunted bookshop, and ALL the puffin puns you could ever need, and you have the makings of greatness. The return of the Book Bitches made me SO happy, and there was even a Clyde reference so it’s basically perfect. This also made me want to go read Starting Over Scottish so that’s probably going to happen soon. 

I am already hooked on this series! I absolutely love the world building and magic system. I like that it’s about witches, and yet isn’t a cozy, cottagecore vibe. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some cottagecore, but it’s fun to have an epic witch tale that doesn’t seem to include fae or anything like that. The fact that Raina is also mute and uses sign language is beyond fascinating to me. I love how she “sings” her spells through her hands, and how the Elikesh language flows and is considered lyrics for the witchcraft. It’s a very unique premise. The history built into this story is very detailed and exciting. I look forward to see how all the other characters come into play. Alexus is going to be a new book boyfriend for me. He’s dark and mysterious, and yet a bit of a cinnamon roll and very forthcoming with Raina. I love how he has somewhat pined after her for years even though they never met. 
The audiobook is narrated by Meg Sylvan and Tim Campbell, who do a wonderful job. Their shifts in tone for the different characters are well done and make the characters come alive. They also both have very soothing, rich voices that are easy to listen to, which is not something I am used to saying about female narrators lately. In short, this book was amazing and the audiobook is a great way to go if you are looking for something to listen to next.

This was an interesting story. I like the world building and the overall plot. It felt a little slow at times though, and Imani was stubbornly naive about ALL the things. She wasn’t awful, but I sincerely hope to see more character growth for her in The Serpent Sea. Qayn is a very intriguing character. I somewhat get Shepard King vibes from him even though this story feels very different from One Dark Window. Taha has the most room to grow, hopefully, as this series continues and goodness does he need it. Overall, I would say this was a good story but not amazing. It has me interested enough to continue.