Category: Book Review

Book Review: Wicked Sea and Sky (Curse of Ever #1) by Jenna Collett

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Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 443 pages
Author: Jenna Collett
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 23rd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She’s a treasure hunter bound by dark magic. He’s the thief who shattered her trust. And now? He’s her only shot at survival.

Betrayed during a treasure hunt and sentenced to a watery prison, Marin has spent the last few years trapped beneath the waves. Now she’s back on land with three weeks to break her curse or die trying. Her only hope lies in a mythical artifact lost to the sky realm, and in the hands of the charming thief she vowed never to forgive.

Gavin was the only man she ever let close. This time, she wants revenge. He swears he never betrayed her and only wants to help, but every stolen glance and lingering touch feels like another trap.

With time running out, they’ll have to hunt together one last time. Through crumbling ruins, sky mazes, and battles with deadly creatures, their search will test more than just their skills. But as their partnership heats up and secrets unravel, Marin must face the truth: the man who broke her heart might be the one fighting to keep it.

Wicked Sea and Sky is a sizzling fantasy romance packed with thrilling adventure, enemies-to-lovers tension, and a love worth fighting for. Perfect for fans of fairytale retellings, dark curses, and high-stakes heists.

I HAD FUN.

This was a great standalone! I can’t believe I haven’t read this author before because I will definitely be continuing this series. I do want to note that this is a standalone (but it appears more books are coming?? I guess different main characters??). The arc for Marin and Gavin comes to a conclusion. I know that much at least.

With this being a standalone I do think the romance was a little faster paced than I like to see. I felt tossed into the beginning and was drowning a bit until things settled down. But the twist?? That threw me and I was heavily invested in the rest of the journey. There was impeccable snappy banter between the love interests and we also get dual POV!! I loved the found family and that this had a heist quality to it as well. It’s a fast paced read that was a lot of fun!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: 2ish open door
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Positively, Penelope (Skymar #2) by Pepper Basham

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 410 pages
Author: Pepper Basham
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: August 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Told mostly through letters, texts, and email, this contemporary romance will charm its way into hearts as Penelope rescues a theater and discovers her true self in the process.

Penelope Edgewood is practically positive in every way, so when, fresh out of college, she is awarded a paid internship to help save a century-old theater on the island of Skymar, she jumps at the chance. After all, a crumbling theater needs the special touch of someone who reveres all things vintage and adores the stage.

Unfortunately, not everything is as it seems at Darling House Theatre. Finances are in shambles, the local theater group is disenchanted, and the two brothers, Matt and Alec Gray, can’t seem to see eye-to-eye about how to run their theatrical business. So, of course, it’s the perfect place for Penelope to shine her own personal brand of sunshine.

With a little help from GK, the person emailing her encouragement along the way, she puts all her heart into helping the Grays save Darling House. But between Matt’s ever-present skepticism, Alec’s tendency to treat Penelope a little too much like the “princess” she thinks she wants to be (until someone actually started treating her that way), a grandfather who is stuck in his grief, and a mysterious person stealing Penelope’s marketing ideas, she’s not sure her optimism is enough to make a happily-ever-after of her own story, let alone The Darling House’s.

Between an adorable little girl, a matchmaker, a sea monster or two, and a copious amount of musical references, can Penelope draw enough confidence from her faith, her family, and her adoration of all things Julie Andrews, to find the thief and save the theater . . . without getting her heart broken in the process?

Thank you to Bibliolifestyle and Thomas Nelson for the gifted copy and LibroFM for the audiobook.

TOO MANY E-MAILS.

Honestly if the 200 pages of inane emails and text messages would have been taken out, I think I would have liked this story a lot more. Good HEAVNES it was TOO MUCH. And I stand by my statement that it didn’t genuinely further the plot or sub-story lines.

Ignoring that aspect, the rest of the book was sweet. I am not the type of personality to connect with Penelope but I honor and love her ability to look on the bright side and be a bit of sunshine to others in her life. She is hopeful and genuine and I loved how hard she worked at her commitments. The romance between her and Matt had some good tender moments. Different scenes felt a bit cliche, but I think that was the vibe of this book in general.

I do not recommend the audiobook. The intense litany of voices and narrators was more jarring than I expected. I loved some of the accents and others were hard to understand making reading at one speed more complicated.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Content Warnings: infidelity (briefly mentioned), loss of loved ones to cancer

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Book Review: Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 408 pages
Author: Mikayla Bridge
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: May 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Fourth Wing meets Iron Widow in this enemies-to-lovers romantic fantasy by debut author Mikayla Bridge. The hottest must-read of the summer!

On an island built from ash and shrouded in fire, phoenix racing is a sport just as profitable as it is deadly.

Kel Varra and her team of underdogs, the Crimson Howlers, are desperate to win the annual races and the fortune that comes with it. But the Howlers need a new rider, which leads Kel to join forces with Warren “Coup” Coupers – an arrogant rival she can’t get out of her head.

As tensions rise on and off the track, Kel accepts a job from a mysterious tech mogul who shows an unsettling interest in her phoenix, Savita. This thrusts Kel into a conspiracy that endangers everyone she cares about, especially Coup, as her resentment ignites into something dangerously new.

Heart-pounding pages full of fiery romance, jaw-dropping confessions, political scheming, and volatile magic culminate in a final battle that none may survive.

PLEASANTLY SURPRISED.

So I absolutely picked this up on a whim at an indie book store PURELY based off of the cover, and assuming it was an adult romantasy. WELL, not quite the case but I am here for it and will be reading the next book for suuuure.

The characters are 17+ish and while I know some may say YA, the content is definitely leans NA/adult. Which doesn’t bother me, but I think is worthy to note.

I did love all of the phoenix content though!!!! This kind of felt like a mash up of Crown of Feathers (loved) and Fireborne (loved). With racing phoenixes, political turmoil and a race against a disease that is threatening the land. I thought the rage was well placed and the enemies to lovers worked well. I wish there had a bit more romance between them but it is a good slow burn overall.

I loved the audiobook and this had a great cliffhanger. I loved the world and how the phoenix magic played a part. Truly an awesome debut.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild – moderate
  • Romance: Makeouts with touching
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings; loss of life, loss of loved ones, graphic injuries

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Book Review: A Peculiar Combination (Electra McDonnell #1) by Ashley Weaver

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Fiction Mystery
Length: 304 pages
Author: Ashley Weaver
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Release Date: May 25th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The first in the Electra McDonnell series from Edgar-nominated author Ashley Weaver, set in England during World War II, A Peculiar Combination is a delightful mystery filled with spies, murder, romance, and the author’s signature wit.

Electra McDonnell has always known that the way she and her family earn their living is slightly outside of the law. Breaking into the homes of the rich and picking the locks on their safes may not be condoned by British law enforcement, but World War II is in full swing, Ellie’s cousins Colm and Toby are off fighting against Hitler, and Uncle Mick’s more honorable business as a locksmith can’t pay the bills any more.

So when Uncle Mick receives a tip about a safe full of jewels in the empty house of a wealthy family, he and Ellie can’t resist. All goes as planned–until the pair are caught redhanded. Ellie expects them to be taken straight to prison, but instead they are delivered to a large townhouse, where government official Major Ramsey is waiting with an offer: either Ellie agrees to help him break into a safe and retrieve blueprints that will be critical to the British war effort, before they can be delivered to a German spy, or he turns her over to the police.

Ellie doesn’t care for the Major’s imperious manner, but she has no choice, and besides, she’s eager to do her bit for king and country. She may be a thief, but she’s no coward. When she and the Major break into the house in question, they find instead the purported German spy dead on the floor, the safe already open and empty. Soon, Ellie and Major Ramsey are forced to put aside their differences to unmask the double-agent, as they try to stop allied plans falling into German hands.

WELL WELL WELL.

It always takes me a minute to decide about picking up a WW2 story because I have just read A LOT of them. But this was a true mix up in historical fiction and I was hooked on the mystery and slow bur romance. THAT KISSING SCENE THOUGH. Clearly I can’t get it out of my head.

I loved the set up of the plot. I loved that Ellie was a part time thief who got to use her strengths for other deeds. I loved that Major Ramsey was a no nonsense kind of man but you could see that soft spot growing for Ellie. This banter was on point and I laughed out loud multiple times with the well placed moments.

There is a great amount of action and twists. I didn’t know how all the pieces would come together and I binged this audiobook in a day (loved the audio too). I will absolutely be continuing this series!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Fiction + Mystery
  • Romance: Heated kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: WW2 setting, gun violence, murder, kidnapping, near death experiences

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