Book Review: Summer Ever After (Falling for Summer) by Kortney Keisel

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 364 pages
Author: Kortney Keisel
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 12th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Falling in love is easy. Finding the right guy to spend happily ever after with… that’s the hard part. 

But I have a foolproof plan. I’m taking the tropes that work in romance books and applying them to my love life.

Only one bed? Never fails.

Caring for someone when they’re sick? A classic.

“Who did this to you?” Seals the deal every single time.

So long, loneliness. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

But the more I try to force romance, the more feelings naturally progress with the one man who’s off limits: Walker Collins, the guy I’ve had a secret crush on since 7th grade, not to mention my best friend’s older brother. 

Dating Walker crosses BFF lines I swore I’d never cross. Plus, he hates Sunset Harbor, and his pro golf career will take him off the island as fast as he came, sending me back to the land of singlehood, loneliness, and broken hearts. 

At the end of the day, I don’t want to be the fool in my foolproof plan.

PLEASED.

I kind of have an up and down relationship with this author’s books. This, is an up! I really got caught up in the swoon of Walker. Because gosh DANG those kissing scenes were steamy and I’m pretty sure lit my kindle on fire. I am here for this.

What did bug me a little was Jane. I think her intense focus on the tropes and even creating them just rubbed me wrong in a way that’s hard to put my finger on. And that she held a secret from her best friend for so long?? Besides that, a truly good summer read.

I adore this small island and all of the interconnecting characters. I loooved the character growth in Walker and seeing him reconnect with his family and learning what he truly wants to value in life. I loved all of the flirting and banter. There was definitely plenty of fantastic chemistry between them. This is light, and fun and heated in all the best ways. Absolutely recommend for your summer TBR!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: low

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Book Review: Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Mystery
Length: 400 pages
Author: Angeline Boulley
Publisher: Henry Holt
Release Date: May 2nd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Perry Firekeeper-Birch was ready for her Summer of Slack but instead, after a fender bender that was entirely not her fault, she’s stuck working to pay back her Auntie Daunis for repairs to the Jeep.

Thankfully she has the other outcasts of the summer program, Team Misfit Toys, and even her twin sister Pauline. Together they ace obstacle courses, plan vigils for missing women in the community, and make sure summer doesn’t feel so lost after all.

But when she attends a meeting at a local university, Perry learns about the “Warrior Girl”, an ancestor whose bones and knife are stored in the museum archives, and everything changes. Perry has to return Warrior Girl to her tribe. Determined to help, she learns all she can about NAGPRA, the federal law that allows tribes to request the return of ancestral remains and sacred items. The university has been using legal loopholes to hold onto Warrior Girl and twelve other Anishinaabe ancestors’ remains, and Perry and the Misfits won’t let it go on any longer.

Using all of their skills and resources, the Misfits realize a heist is the only way to bring back the stolen artifacts and remains for good. But there is more to this repatriation than meets the eye as more women disappear and Pauline’s perfectionism takes a turn for the worse. As secrets and mysteries unfurl, Perry and the Misfits must fight to find a way to make things right – for the ancestors and for their community.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper’s Daughter comes a thrilling YA mystery about a Native teen who must find a way to bring an ancestor home to her tribe.

PASSIONATE.

Another beautiful and immersive culture packed read where I feel like I am taught so much and still have so much to learn.

The mystery surrounding some suspicious characters was also intriguing and had me wondering what was happening and why. Those aspects were great and intriguing. I enjoyed Perry as a main character too. She’s hardened and kind and I liked seeing her characters progression throughout the story.

What I struggled with was the overall plot. Even reading at 3x on audio I felt like things were moving slowwww. There were a lot of small scenes that didn’t feel gathered into the entire plot and I spent a bit of time just waiting for anything to happen.

That being said, still a solid read. And I look forward to Boulley’s next book.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Mystery
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of teen sex, abduction, mentions/recounts of sexual assault, murder, underage drinking, theft

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ARC Book Review: Illusion of Stars by Sarah Marie Page

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 435 pages
Author: Sarah Marie Page
Publisher: Shadow Forge Publishing
Release Date: July 16th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

SHE’S STEALING MORE THAN SECRETS.

As the royal physician of a tiny, windswept island, Isabel spends her days trying to keep the queen from dying and the mad king from streaking naked down the halls. But when her best friend is found murdered on the beaches, her world is ripped apart. Desperate for answers, she discovers a stash of letters that reveal a terrifying truth: the neighboring kingdom of Volgaard possesses a kingdom-shattering weapon and is poised to conquer everything in its path.

Seeking vengeance, Isabel infiltrates the enemy. Her mission? Woo Erik Lothgarson, the general’s steamy, illusion-magic wielding son, and steal the dangerous weapon. She can bring Volgaard to its knees—if she isn’t caught. 

But as Isabel dances along the knife edge of deception, the lines between truth and fiction blur, and she must wrestle her quest for vengeance against her undeniable attraction to the enemy.

Please note the spice level is a steamy fade-to-black, meaning there’s some foreplay and build-up, but no on-page sex.

Thank you to the author for the gifted copy!

ENJOYABLE.

I liked this one y’all. It was a spontaneous request based off a friend’s review and I’m happy I read it and can’t wait for book two.

One of my favorite aspects was the general theme of the book. Of finding your worth and overcoming that self doubt and negative thought pattern that can get all of us. Isabel went through this slow journey of self discovery and ownership and I loved where she ended up and look forward to seeing that even more in the next installment.

I think I was hoping for a little more forced proximity in the romance, it took a bit to grow on me. I liked the snippets I got and think there really is a connection between Isabel and Erik. I loved that they took the time to get to know each other and see past what the world had portrayed them as.

There’s some intriguing politics, a good magic system and world building that was easy to follow. I liked the betrayals and twists and think this would be a great read for my low spice fans!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings: discussion of parental abandonment and parental infidelity, murder, loss of life, self harm ideation (non-suicidal), and on page self harm

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Book Review: The Ever Queen (The Ever Seas #2) by L.J. Andrews

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 450 pages
Author: L.J. Andrews
Publisher: Indie Published
Release Date: January 22nd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Songbird:

Captive. Challenger. Queen.

Enemies took her from the man who holds her heart. They might see her as weak, as a pawn in wicked games, but they’re no match for the first Ever Queen.

Let them think they’ve won. Her heart belongs to a beautiful monster, and she will never stop fighting until she’s back in his arms.


The Serpent:

Captor. Villain. King.

His enemies stole the woman who claimed his soul. They betrayed him out of greed and desire for the crown, but they won’t die for that betrayal. No.

They’ll die for touching her.

His heart belongs to a stunning little bird. He will never stop searching for her light across the skies. Not until the blood of his enemies spills at her feet, and his queen wears their bones around her neck.

WHAT A CONCLUSION.

Who knew I’d be obsessed with this dark fantasy? I didn’t and I’m so glad my friends reviews convinced me to pick it up! I loved the way this went. I usually don’t love when a couple is separated for too long in a book, and I think the way the action and intrigue was kept up I was not bothered at all. Everything came together as it should. The slower middle actually worked beautifully because that was the bit of peace the story needed before the action packed, deadly conclusion.

I LOVE Erik and Livia so much. Both on their own and together. There’s incredible growth and I love watching their relationship blossom and thrive. Erik had so many swoony lines that I had to keep highlighting because can you EVEN??? It was the perfect kind of contrast with the darkness of the book. And this whole cast?! I adore them. Side characters can make/break a book and these MADE it.

Fantastic book. I loved it. I am very excited to see that there will be more books in this series (following a different pair!!).

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 4+ open door
  • Violence: very high; high blood/gore
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: torture, sexual assault (brief, on page), war themes

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