Book Review: The Ragpicker King (The Chronicles of Castellane #2) by Cassandra Claire

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Rating: ★★★.75
Audience: Fantasy + Romance
Length: 480 pages
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: March 4th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In the epic follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Sword Catcher, praised by George R. R. Martin as “everything I look for in fantasy,” Lin and Kel must chart a perilous course between love and lies.

Kel Saren, body double to Conor, crown prince of the dazzling city of Castellane, is caught between two worlds. In order to protect his beloved prince, Kel must find the culprits responsible for a massacre at the royal palace—and the only clues are held by the Ragpicker King, the notorious criminal who rules Castellane’s underworld. The trail Kel follows leads back to the Hill, where among decadent nobles and glittering parties a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family has taken hold—a conspiracy headed up by the monstrous Artal Gremont, the man engaged to marry the woman Kel adores.

Meanwhile, Lin Caster must face the aftermath of the greatest risk she’s ever taken. To save the life of a dying friend, Lin has falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, the legendary heroine destined to save her people. Now the terrifying—but strangely magnetic—leader of her people has arrived to test her powers. The price of failure is exile, and only through her alliance with the Ragpicker King can she continue to access the magic that may save her.

Then Prince Conor reappears in her life, demanding that she use her healing powers to cure the madness of his father, the King. Lin soon realizes the King is gripped by an ancient and terrible magic, one whose lure she cannot deny any more than she can deny her growing passion for Conor.

As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach a fever pitch, Lin and Kel must decide who to trust when any false move means death—or worse.

BETTER THAN THE FIRST.

Well here we are. I actually didn’t expect myself to pick this book up so soon after release (or maybe even at all) but a few reviews found their way to me and I decided to give it a go. And I do think it is an upgrade from book one. Being settled into the general plot, world and characters helped this book move much more smoothly and I realized I was more invested as the pages went on.

Do I think it still dragged quite a bit? Yes. And some of the politicking lost me as well. I do love the complicated character dynamics and all of the choices that lead to some devastating consequences. I’m also intrigued by the romances and where those will continue to go too.

So yeah, I’ll keep reading this series.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: open door
  • Violence: moderate – high

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Book Review: Meet Me Under the Lights by Cassie Miller

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Sports Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Cassie Miller
Publisher: Viking Books
Release Date: March 3rd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

My Life with the Walter Boys meets The Notebook in this small town baseball romance perfect for fans of Kasie West and Carley Fortune.

High school junior Eliza Crowley is known as the Princess of Fairfield, a farm town in North Carolina that loves two things—tradition and baseball. Although Eliza loves “the game,” her life goal is to become a lighting designer on Broadway. Shaking off her reputation as the rich girl and focusing on her town’s community theater production are what she’s set her sights on this summer, and nothing will stand in her way. That is until Reed Fulton, the grandson of a struggling Fairfield farmer, and ace pitcher of the Fulton Hawks, returns to town. Reed dreams of putting the catastrophe of last season behind him and leading the Hawks to a championship victory against the Crowley Cardinals. When his childhood friend turned stranger, Eliza, strolls back into his life, she makes his heart accelerate quicker than his fastball, and he’s not sure he can stay away from the girl he’s supposed to despise. Small-town summers and baseball draw Reed and Eliza together, even though the Crowleys and the Fultons are determined to run each other out of town. When the families make a deal to settle their thirty-year-long dispute once and for all, Eliza and Reed are stuck in the middle during the most important summer of their lives.

PROGRESSIVELY BETTER.

I was a bit mixed when this started and worried it just wasn’t going to work for me but by the second half I really fell into the story and the character arcs for Eliza and Reed. I appreciated that this felt [mostly] true to the young adult genre. There is some under age drinking but the language was low and the romance was kisses only.

I’m not a theater girlie so those pieces didn’t hit as hard for me but the parallels to Romeo and Juliet were well done. I enjoyed this style of retelling. I liked the audiobook narrators too and wish there had been more chapters from Reed’s POV. It felt a little imbalanced.

I loved the baseball content and the back and forth between families. And I especially loved seeing Eliza’s Dad grow and acknowledge his faults too. It’s a reminder that parents aren’t perfect either and I loved seeing those bridges mended and genuine effort in reestablishing relationships.

I’m still just really obsessing over the colors on this cover too.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Baseball romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: arson, underage drinking

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Book Review: Debt of My Soul by K.P. Haven

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 433 pages
Author: K.P. Haven
Publisher: Self Publishd
Release Date: December 17th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Fleur
Nine years. That’s how long I spent in a relationship wasted on my ex.

When my world crumbles apart in front of me, I make a desperate escape. Only now, I’m stuck in a tiny Mississippi town with a dilapidated farmhouse I don’t know how to fix.

Enter Adam, the town’s contractor. Finding solace in his expertise and kindness, he might just be the one to help me rebuild more than just my home. But beneath the town’s quaint facade lies a darkness: an untouchable drug lord whose operation has poisoned the very place I now call home.

Then there’s him—a man who commands attention with his rugged allure and infuriating motorcycle. Our encounters are surprising, hinting at something beyond his dangerous exterior and intriguing me in ways I can’t ignore.

Riddled in debt and drugs, the sanctuary I sought for safety may very well be the ruin of me. One thing’s for certain: running away was only the beginning.

Debt of My Soul is a small town, organized crime novel with a signature slow burn, closed-door/fade-to-black romance. Please read TW/CW.

WELL.

I’ll start off saying that I do think this was written well and I would be interested in other books by this author. I just struggled with some plot points in this one.

Alright, first and foremost. The romance didn’t even start until halfway through the book?? It felt like a lot of lolly gagging and “we can’t tell you, just stay away” from everybody in town and I got tired of the repetitive nature. The pacing would have been better had this been tightened up. It was clear from the beginning where things were going so waiting for a long time became frustrating.

I liked Fleur…sort of. A lot of things happened to her but she didn’t do much herself? I didn’t need her to take down the organized crime ring or anything, I was looking for something more though. Liam was nice, I liked his personality and saw where he was coming from. I love a protective, broody sort which made all of those scenes even better.

There’s a few other things that had some roller coaster vibes for me and that’s how I landed at a 3.25. I would recommend it?? But also not?? I don’t know. It is low spice which is generally hard to find in this kind of plot dynamic which is a definite plus in the pros column.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: fade to black/vague open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings: kidnapping, murder, torture, drug abuse, organized crime, self harm, attempted SA

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ARC Book Review: Could’ve Fooled Me (Georgia Jaguars Hockey #1) by Jenny Proctor

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Jenny Proctor
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 26th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She married him to stay in the country. She didn’t expect him to feel like home.

Sarah Stone never meant to marry a hockey player.

She doesn’t even like hockey—too loud, too violent. But when her visa runs out and going home isn’t an option, marrying one of her brother’s teammates becomes the fastest way to stay in the country.

Carter Williamson is boyishly handsome, charming, and exactly the kind of man who makes a temporary marriage feel dangerous in all the wrong (right?) ways. He respects the rules, takes the pretending seriously, and somehow manages to make her feel safer than she has in years.

Which is inconvenient because he’s also determined to keep things strictly business.

Or so he says. Something about the way he looks at her makes Sarah think he’s struggling as much as she is to remember their marriage is fake.

But then a crisis on the ice sends them both into a tailspin, and Carter and Sarah have to decide if the fragile life they’ve built together is one they want to fight for.

This was supposed to be paperwork. Not feelings.

Definitely not love.

Could’ve Fooled Me is a marriage of convenience closed-door hockey romance with chemistry, tension, and steamy kisses…but ONLY kisses on the page.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

LOVELY AS ALWAYS.

I mean, who could resist a Jenny Proctor + marriage of convenience book? BECAUSE I KNOW I CAN’T. I loved this book so much!! I am so excited to be at the start of another JP series and all the goodness it will hold. I am already sat for the MMC’s I suspect are coming and I am always down for a hockey romance.

I adored how soft this romance was between Sarah and Carter. It’s filled with this sense of slow burn longing and tension. The yearning comes into play and I was a goner. Swoony and heartfelt and I loved a man who falls first. Carter and Sarah both kept finding ways to show up and support each other and that makes these too immensely easy to fall in love with.

There was definitely hockey content, I love the twin brothers idea, I’m always down for a my wife moment and more. And EXCUSE ME? The kisses are hot y’all. So very hot.

If you’ve been wanting to try a Jenny book [I would first tell you that you can’t go wrong starting anywhere] BUT starting here is a great option too! She continues to be one of my all time favorite romance authors and I always look forward to the loving stories she writes.

Overall audience notes:

  • Sports romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: mentions of child abuse (recounted), hockey injury, pregnancy/childbirth, panic attacks (recounted)

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