Author: GoodeyReads

Book Review: A Loyal Heart (An Uncertain Choice #4) by Jody Hedlund

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: YA Historical Romance
Length: 302 pages
Author: Jody Hedlund
Publisher: Northern Lights Press
Release Date: March 6th, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He’s taken her as his prisoner. But she’s holding his heart captive. In gaining their freedom, will they lose what matters most?

When Lady Olivia’s castle is besieged, she and her sister are taken captive and held for ransom by her father’s enemy, Lord Pitt. Loyalty to family means everything to Olivia. She’ll save her sister at any cost and do whatever her father asks—even if that means obeying his order to steal a sacred relic from her captor.

As Lord Pitt’s commander, Sir Aldric is in charge of the beautiful but feisty new prisoner. He has his hands full attempting to keep Lady Olivia out of trouble. When Lord Pitt throws her in the dungeon and threatens to hang her for stealing, Aldric conceives a plot to save Olivia’s life—betrothal to him.

Can Olivia give up the prestigious match her father has arranged with a wealthy marquess in order to marry a lowly knight like Aldric? And can Aldric move beyond his past mistakes to embrace love again? When loyalties are tested, they’re thrust into danger that could cost them their love and their lives. 

TOO EASY.

This was an enjoyable read, it was. I just started noticing some things that stuck out enough that caused my rating to go down.

I did love this historical vibes and time period. That was different for a young adult book and it was a good change of pace. The audio book was already really well narrated and I flew through it (it’s short, about 7 hours).

The romance had some sweet moments but I felt like things progressed for them too easily. They’re flat out enemies and I wanted more angst between them because of that. There wasn’t a sense of will they/won’t they and even in the midst of all the things happening around them I thought the romance arc moved too swiftly. Probably a by-product of a short story, but alas, these are my thoughts.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult historical romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: battle themes, kidnapping, whipping
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: suicide ideation, loss of a spouse (prior to book, but discussed), grief, near death situations

Instagram || Goodreads

Book Review: A Psalm of Storms and Silence (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin #2) by Roseanne A. Brown

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 560 pages
Author: Roseanna A. Brown
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: November 2nd, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Karina lost everything after a violent coup left her without her kingdom or her throne. Now the most wanted person in Sonande, her only hope of reclaiming what is rightfully hers lies in a divine power hidden in the long-lost city of her ancestors.

Meanwhile, the resurrection of Karina’s sister has spiraled the world into chaos, with disaster after disaster threatening the hard-won peace Malik has found as Farid’s apprentice. When they discover that Karina herself is the key to restoring balance, Malik must use his magic to lure her back to their side. But how do you regain the trust of someone you once tried to kill?

As the fabric holding Sonande together begins to tear, Malik and Karina once again find themselves torn between their duties and their desires. And when the fate of everything hangs on a single, horrifying choice, they each must decide what they value most—a power that could transform the world, or a love that could transform their lives.

The highly-anticipated second—and final—book in the immersive fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore that began with the New York Times bestselling A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, from author Roseanne A. Brown.

GOOD CONCLUSION.

As someone continually hesitant of duology conclusions I am happy to say, this one worked well for me! Maybe it was the audio book (because it was stellar), but hey, whatever works.

I really enjoyed these two main characters, Malik and Karina. Both had so much growth and I thought truly found themselves by the end. I like how they have those purely raw, human moments where I felt connected to the deep emotions being felt.

This plot took some interesting turns that at first took me a while to get into. Once I got my footing on where things were going I realized I did like the change. Following a villain twisted by his idea of love brought about plenty of action and death-defying moments.

I liked that the conclusion was more hopeful than happily ever after. There’s still a lot of rebuilding to do and things to secure. I didn’t feel that I was missing anything from the end and can easily close this book and know it was a good one.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: one closed door
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: blood/gore depiction, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, depictions of anxiety and panic attacks, kidnapping, torture

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: (Not So) Alone for Christmas by Jenny Proctor

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Holiday Romance Novella
Length: 95 pages
Author: Jenny Proctor
Publisher: Four Petal Press
Release Date: December 3rd, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Problem number one: Maddy’s family is NOT at home. A surprise Christmas visit to Charleston only works if the family you’re surprising hasn’t decided to spend the holidays in Hawaii.

Problem number two: Maddy is stranded. There is snow on the ground in Charleston, a city that doesn’t even own a snow plow. Flights are grounded, and the power is out. Maddy isn’t going anywhere.

Problem number three: Bo Bradshaw, Maddy’s old high school crush, is stranded with her, and he is hotter than ever.

(Not So) Alone for Christmas is a standalone, sweet romance novella that will leave you craving Christmas cookies and a cozy fire.

ALL THE HOLIDAY SWEETNESS.

This is one of those, sit and read in one evening, kinda novellas. I love reading these sometimes! And this was a fantastic quick paced romance that I thought was well written and gave me all the necessary Christmas vibes.

I like that that this was a childhood friends / second chance-ish romance. These seem to work best for something so short. The immediate need to feel a connection between the love interests was there and I was whole heartedly for Maddy and Bo. I love a good forced proximity moment as Christmas plans fell through and they got a chance to reconnect.

Super short. Super sweet. A great read for the season. Highly recommend if you’re looking for something in that category!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance Holiday Novella
  • Language: none
  • Romance: make-outs

Instagram || Goodreads

Book Review: The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia #1) by Carissa Broadbent

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 532 pages
Author: Carissa Broadbent
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: August 30th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Human or vampire, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always – always – guard your heart.

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.

But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.

Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown… and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him.

But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari. War for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone – but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night is the first book in a new series of heart-wrenching romance, dark magic, and bloodthirsty intrigue, perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.

IT FINALLY HAPPENED.

I have been on this eternal quest to find a vampire book worthy of my own five star rating. AND IT’S HERE. 2022 IS THE YEAR. This book deserves all the love and I beg of you to give it a chance too!!

I enjoyed Broadbent’s first series, but this already feels leaps better in the writing and world building, characters, everything. Her storytelling is even more impressive and that’s what had me fall in love with this book.

Oraya was such a force. I loooove morally gray characters and this woman is swimming in the color. She was someone I easily wanted to root for and loved the start of her character arc. Watching her loyalty to one side, and the slow unraveling of everything she knew is only going to make book two that much better.

The romance with Raihn? AHH. Slow burn perfection. The movement from rivals to reluctant allies to friends to lovers was fantastic. There were so many good moments between these two. I could not get enough of them. I liked the way they communicated and opened up and slowly learned to lean on another another through the fearsome trials they were going through.

AND THAT ENDING. Well timed reveals and betrayals abound and I am HERE FOR IT. Throw in one of my all time favorite tropes that I can’t wait to see play out and I am an official fan girl for this series.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: two open door; med-high explicit
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: battle scenes, loss of life, creature attacks, physical and magical altercations, loss of loved ones

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph