Book Review: The Sacred Space Between by Kalie Reid

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 432 pages
Author: Kalie Reid
Publisher: Little Brown
Release Date: November 4th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An enchanting enemies-to-lovers fantasy about an exiled saint and the devout iconographer sent to paint him, for fans of Divine Rivals and A Study in Drowning.

The Abbey has controlled the minds of its patrons for a millennium through memory magic, stolen from exiled saints. At fifteen, Jude was exiled from the Abbey to the bleak moors in the countryside, to maintain their control over his bourgeoning magic. Almost a decade later, he wants to live a normal life free from the Abbey’s oppressive gaze. When they send Maeve, a stubbornly devout iconographer, to paint an updated icon of him, Jude makes it his mission to get rid of her as soon as possible. That is until he discovers she holds the same tainted magic of the saints as he does, and that the icons she paints may be the key to destroying the Abbey’s power.

As Jude and Maeve draw closer, the two of them face a choice—they can take on the full power of the Abbey and risk their lives for freedom or escape back to exile and make the most of their fading memories. But this institution has eyes everywhere, and the only thing the Abbey loves more than a saint is a martyr.

NOT E2L.

I’m feeling sassy over this book because I’m really tired of “enemies to lovers” books only lasts about 100 pages. I want to FEEL the animosity. I want heated banter where clearly there’s a vibe but they still can’t stand each other. GIVE IT TO ME. This did not do so.

This just didn’t feel like anything new. I’ve read something along these lines multiple times and I kept waiting for a reveal to surprise me or for the story to hold my attention. I also hate epilogues that are just one long open door scene.

Oh well, on to the next.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: 2ish open door
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: past self harm, child abuse (recounted), panic attacks

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Book Review: Resisting the Fall (Falling for Autumn) by Jess Heileman

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Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 382 pages
Author: Jess Heileman
Publisher: Vagabond Publishing
Release Date: August 26th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The divorce never finalized. Neither did their feelings.

The discovery that I was still legally married—years after I thought my divorce was final—was supposed to be the worst thing to happen to me this fall.

It wasn’t.

Because apparently the state of Vermont believes in closure. And no regrets. And court-ordered thirty-day reconciliation efforts. So now, in order to fast-track my divorce from Bennett Walker—my high school sweetheart and the man who walked out on our marriage seven years ago—I’m being forced back to the small town we grew up in to spend an entire month proving our relationship isn’t worth saving.

A situation Ben annoyingly finds amusing.

Which is why I plan to make this the most memorable, insufferable, torturous thirty days of his life. As a prank-loving aficionado, I have countless ideas about how to drive Ben crazy while keeping myself focused on the goal: finalizing our divorce.

With my life in New York and a career I absolutely love, not even deeply embedded habits and old feelings can threaten my resolve.

I’m resolved.

So resolved.

Absolutely, definitely, one hundred percent resolved. And if I keep saying it, maybe this time around, I’ll be capable of resisting the fall.

WELL THAT WENT DOWNHILL.

I tend to enjoy marriage in crisis books so I was all over this one. Buuuuut there were some issues y’all.

One of the big ones was the fact I wasn’t convinced for basically the entire book that this couple made it??? There was hardly an attempt at working through the communication issues that caused the initial separation. Most things were brushed under the rug and never genuinely resolved.

I think having Ben’s POV from his childhood was a disservice to the current timeline. I wanted to see him yearn more and get his thoughts and feelings rather than having to wait until 85% of the way through to finally figure out why they separated in the first place. Maven was actually too petty for me about things (which again, I think could have been helped had I known the WHY not just “he’s the reason we’re in this mess”).

Lastly, the ending. I won’t go into specifics (but DM me if you want them). I don’t think it was handled well and let me wanting more for Maven, regardless of her assertions. All leading back to the communication y’all.

I did fly through this book and I didn’t hate it by any means. There were just enough stand out issues that I have been cycling through them on repeat since I finished. I do recommend the audiobook if you want to read it, the narrators were great!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses

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Book Review: A Wilder Wild by KP Haven

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Romantic Suspense
Length: 400 pages
Author: KP Haven
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: October 21st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Chasing her next photograph, Jay Roke takes a chance on a remote Alaskan town. With her late father’s shadow hanging over her, a few months encased by towering spruce and endless wild is exactly what she needs.

She doesn’t expect Briggs Sawyer.

The sawmill owner is doing everything he can to keep his family’s business afloat. Burned by a failed marriage and too stubborn to admit how alone he is, he has no patience for outsiders—least of all a wildlife photographer with no intention of staying.

Then one impulsive night changes everything.

Snow-choked trails. Sun-starved wilderness. The undeniable pull between them. Jay wonders if Alaska offers more than her next viral shot—right up until her camera catches something she was never meant to see: a criminal operation hidden deep in the wilderness.

Now dangerous people want what’s on that memory card. And the one complication neither of them planned might be the only thing keeping her alive.

INTRIGUING.

This is my second book from this author. I had some mixed thoughts about the first one I read from KP Haven, but received an opportunity to try this book and I liked it! I would be interested in reading another. I think one of my favorite things to note is that it’s a genuine closed door (aka more than kisses). I feel like this niche in romances is hard to find and I appreciate it! I’m always here for a genuine slow burn too.

There’s some suspension of belief I had to rely on to follow through with a few tropes in here. It’s a little on the insta-romance side of things but it worked? I thought Jay and Briggs had chemistry and the banter between them worked well. I loved the remote Alaskan setting and the winter vibes this book provided. It does lean on the mildly heavy side but without overwhelming the romance. There were many themes to work through and I liked the way they were combined.

Overall audience notes:

  • Romantic suspense
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: moderate-high
  • Content warnings: murder, gun violence, physical violence, mentions of past abuse, divorce, arson

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Book Review: The Silver Kingdom (The Silver Kingdom #1) by Radiya Hafiza

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Radiya Hafiza
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: November 3rd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

For the first printing only! This hardcover features sprayed stenciled edges while the special edition supply lasts.

A “[s]washbuckling, swoony, and filled with intrigue” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) South Asian–inspired young adult romantasy about the forbidden love between royals of rival kingdoms that endangers their tenuous peace just as a prophecy comes to pass and long-lost magic returns.

The savior will rise and lead an army to the gates of darkness. Only when the fire has fallen can light prevail.

Prince Zayd, heir to Dakaria, the Silver Kingdom, spends his days defending the land from pirate raids. Princess Layla, heir to Sawan, dreams of running away and escaping her cruel, power-hungry mother.

When the two meet, sparks fly. But the royals are destined to marry other people and tensions between their kingdoms are high—one wrong move could threaten the fragile peace between them.

As dark forces begin to threaten Dakaria, a centuries-old prophecy is set into motion, and Layla discovers she has a latent power, one that she doesn’t understand and begins to fear. Magic has been forbidden for a hundred years. Could Layla be the key to uniting their kingdoms, or will the young royals’ forbidden love plunge them all into a devastating war?

Thank you Simon Teen and Simon Audio for the gifted copies.

GOOD START.

First off, I had no idea this was the start to a series (duology??) so you have been told now. This book ends open and with a fantastic cliffhanger that makes me excited for the next book.

I liked the forbidden romance + lost chosen one tropes. It’s been a minute since I’ve read a genuine forbidden romance and I think this was a good start to that journey. It does read very young adult (which can be a positive or a negative, I get it). While that fell somewhere in between for me, I was swayed by the artful story telling and the world building. I liked seeing the different parental involvements and how that was playing into the main character’s decisions.

It’s a good story with an awesome audiobook. Even with a prince and princess at the helm, I still found the themes to be relatable to a young adult audience and even more bonus points that this was kisses only, without heavy language, or over the top violence. It’s always nice to find a book that is actually written for a teen audience.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: emotionally abusive parent, kidnapping

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