Book Review: Beyond the Aching Door (The Fatebound Duology #1) by Victoria Mier

July 2, 2025May 23, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 541 pages
Author: Victoria Mier
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: March 26th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A mortal journalist. A mysterious series of drownings. An exiled Fey king. A forgotten Fatesong. A single, desperate chance to save magic from extinction.All Raegan Maeve Overhill wants is to survive another October. It’s the anniversary of the worst thing that ever happened to the unsolved disappearance of her father nearly two decades ago. But when mysterious drownings grip the city of Philadelphia, Raegan sets her mourning rituals aside for a career-making opportunity to lead her newspaper’s investigation.

Her hunt for answers takes her to the city’s shadowy places where magical beings appear in puddles, the Fair Folk offer bargains, and magic is very, very real. When Raegan uncovers a startling connection to her father’s disappearance, she knows she can’t just return to her normal life without finding the truth. To get it, though, she’ll need to make a deal with the dark, deadly and alluring Unseelie Fae King—and do her best to ignore their dangerous attraction to one another. Inspired by Welsh mythology, Slavic folklore and Arthurian legend, Beyond the Aching Door is an adult urban fantasy romance for fans of A Discovery of Witches and Dark Night, Golden Dawn. This spicy fae romantic fantasy is intended for readers 18+.

DID I READ A DIFFERENT BOOK?

After a few friends raved about this one I gave it a go and I’m so sad that it ended up not working for me.

Once again I have been plagued by another URBAN fantasy book masquerading as a true fantasy. If the modern world is present, it’s not FULL FANTASY (for my interpretation). And I really struggled with that. The first 200 pages were drawn out and had a repetitive quality to it that made reading tough.

The love interest does not have a personality. I wanted to love him (he gave me wannabe Rhys vibes), and it felt like we never got to KNOW him. The connection between him and Raegan was stilted even if I was loving the fated romance aspects.

I truly thought this was an interesting premise and many good bones were in place. Some of the execution lacked for me and these 550 pages felt longer than necessary.

Overall audience notes:

Urban fantasy romance
Language: moderate
Romance: one open door
Violence: moderate

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: June 2025

July 1, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

How is it already June???

Another month in the 30’s which has been kind of nice. I’ve slowed down a bit this summer and I’m spending time watching shows and being out in the sun.

Happy reading y’all!

[ARC] Seas the Dating Coach (Wilks Beach #1) by Laura Langa
[ARC/ALC] The Blood Phoenix (Fall of the Dragons #2) by Amber Chen
I’ll Paint You a Sunset Someday by Bex Alexander
[Graphic Novel] We Could Be Magic by Marissa Meyer
The Glittering Edge (The Idlewood Duology #1) by Alyssa Villaire
[ARC/ALC] Total Dreamboat by Katelyn Doyle
[ARC] Roots of Darkness (The Ashen #2.5) by Demi Winters
Love Unwritten (Lakefront Billionaires #2) by Lauren Asher
[Reread] Dark Shores (Dark Shores #1) by Danielle L. Jensen
Truly Medley Deeply (Sweet as Sugar Maple #5) by Kate Watson
[Reread] Dark Skies (Dark Shores #2) by Danielle L. Jensen
[ALC] A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry
I’ll Pretend You’re Mine by Tashie Bhuiyan
On the Slopes of Tahoe (Love Along the Way #2) by J.A. Forde
Never Thought I’d End Up Here by Ann Liang
[ARC] Seashells and Other Souvenirs by Rachel Lawrence
Daisy Haites: The Great Undoing (Magnolia Parks Universe #5) by Jessa Hastings
[ALC] A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan
[ARC] Arcana Academy (Arcana Academy #1) by Elise Kova
My Fault (Culpables #1) by Mercedes Ron)
One Final Turn (Electra McDonnell #5) by Ashley Weaver
The Night Prince (Wolf King #2) by Lauren Palphreyman
The Love Playbook (Boys of Ann Arbor U #1) by Gracie Graham
Driving Maisie Crazy (Men of the Isles #2) by Deborah M. Hathaway
The Robin on the Oak Throne (The Oak and the Holly Cycle #2) by K.A. Linde
[ARC] Roads of Resistance (Falcon Point Historical #2) by A.L. Sowards
[ARC/ALC] Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods
We Were Liars (We Were Liars #1) by E. Lockhart
Salvacion by Sandra Proudman
[Reread] Tarnished Empire (Dark Shores #0.5) by Danielle L. Jensen
[ARC] Maid for Each Other by Lynn Painter
[ALC] Soul of Shadow by Emma Noyes

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ALC Book Review: A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan

June 29, 2025June 19, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 480 pages
Author: Stacey McEwan
Publisher: Saga Press
Release Date: July 1st, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

This stunning slow-burn romantasy follows a fated pair who uncover a world-changing secret and are thrust into a violent class war, navigating love, loss, and devastating betrayals.

Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson are twelve years old when they are whisked away from the shadows of their disenfranchised mining towns to dazzling Belavere City to discover their magical potential. Those who pass Belavere’s test will become Artisans, wielders of powerful elemental magic destined to fulfill the city’s grand ambitions. For Nina, the Artisan School symbolizes a dream and an escape from her harsh reality, while Patrick yearns to return to his Craftsman family, whose extraordinary physical strength serves the idium mines keeping the city alive.

And then they uncover a devastating truth: Artisans aren’t born, they’re chosen. They part ways on very different paths, leaving them to carry the burden of this secret alone.

In the years that follow, a Craftsman revolution ignites, thrusting Nina and Patrick into opposing factions of a brewing war. Now an elite Artisan with the very rare talent for charming earth, Nina has turned her back on the fight, haunted by the loss of her found family. But fate intervenes when she is captured by Patrick’s rebel group. Despite the years and conflict that separates them, Patrick hasn’t forgotten Nina. He desperately seeks her help for a mission that could shift the tides against Belavere City. Reluctantly, she agrees, battling the sparks flying between them. But when Nina’s first love reappears, asking her to betray Patrick for the sake of the Artisans, Nina faces an impossible choice that could alter the fate of their world.

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

OH SNAP. I LOVED THIS.

I never finished this author’s previous series because I just wasn’t attached to book one. But this book one? GIMMMMMMME MORE. This was a hit and I loved it.

I actually liked the age progression for this one. It was quick but gave just the right amount of background information to build the world and characters so well. I loved the connection between Nina and Patrick. It’s was complex and heated and I adored the TRUE slow burn push and pull. The man is down bad, and I LOVE DOWN BAD.

Stacey McEwan does such a great job of creating a world filled with secrets that I love seeing unveiled. Even the ones you know are coming are well crafted and the story telling is just on point. This book had a continual incline on the action and hard hitting moments. This was an amazing combination of romance and magic and politicking and twists and turns and all the things. I must have book two!!

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: 2-3ish open door
Violence: high

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ARC Book Review: Seashells and Other Souvenirs by Rachel Lawrence

June 28, 2025June 15, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 322 pages
Author: Rachel Lawrence
Publisher: Quill & Flame
Release Date: June 24th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When Alex’s idyllic past starts to slip like sand through her fingers, will one summer be enough to calm the waters of her unsettled heart and bridge the ocean between bygone days and the present?

Alexandria Henry’s childhood was nothing short of a dream—a huge extended family, three best friend cousins, and a yearly beach vacation filled with family Olympics, crab hunts, talent shows, and tiny boxes of cereal. It’s no wonder then, that at twenty-one, she’s struggling to let go of the past.

Desperate to preserve her family’s history and sort through unresolved feelings for a boy she hasn’t seen in years, she packs up for the summer to document the island she and her cousins grew up on together.

But when she runs into Jude Alford—a long lost friend and the quiet younger brother of her teenage crush—and starts recreating her childhood traditions with him, she begins to wonder if what lies ahead could be as beautiful as the memories she holds so close. Will a handful of sunny weeks, a Carolina beach, and a friend with a past he’d rather forget, be what Alex needs to make peace with the future and finally move forward? Or will she remain stuck on an island of her own fear and loneliness?

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy.

LACKED SUBSTANCE.

I was trying to explain the issue I had with this book to my husband so let me see if I can break it down here. You know how in romance books there’s usually some kind of romantic element that usually needs a bit of realistic suspension? But that makes the book feel swoony and charming? This book didn’t have those elements for me. I’m not even sure there was a true plot. The FMC ran into her childhood friend and they said I love you after one date.

There’s some cute traditions and moments between Alex and Jude. And I liked the reconnection between Alex and her cousins. And it definitely holds all of those summer vibes. The poems were a nice addition too and I liked the author’s note about how she connected to the story. The mental health moments for Jude were easy to connect to and I liked seeing those expressed emotions and conversations.

Overall audience notes: