Book Review: The Rebels of Gold (Loom Saga #3) by Elise Kova

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: NA Fantasy
Length: 452 pages
Author: Elise Kova
Publisher: Silver Wing Press
Release Date: October 25th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Loom burns. Nova bleeds. The war for the fate of both rages.

A new rebellion has risen from the still-smoldering remnants of the Five Guilds of Loom to stand against Dragon tyranny.

Meanwhile, on Nova, those same Dragons fight amongst themselves, as age-old power struggles shift the political landscape in fateful and unexpected ways.

Unlikely leaders vie for the opportunity to shape a new world order from the creations of one temperamental and lethal engineer.

The fates of the beloved characters of the Loom Saga are revealed in this epic and explosive conclusion to a dark fantasy certain to delight readers looking for sweeping adventure, heart-pounding action, and a world that will live on long after the last page.

I FINISHED IT.

I read the first two books in this series a few years ago and finally swung around to finishing the series. Was it worth it? Eh I suppose to. I liked a lot of this, but it really isn’t my favorite of Kova’s (That would be Air Awakens and I beg of y’all to read it).

Anywho, I DID enjoy this characters. Florence, Ari and Cvareh all play solid roles. I liked the character progression and where they ended up when the war was over. What I struggled with was the relationship between Ari and Cvareh. When books are like HERE’S THE ROMANCE, then take it away for a long time it makes things feel unbalanced.

That’s mostly what I thought of the entire book. Unbalanced. Between the politicking, action and relationship building I was looking for something a bit different.

The magic system is suuuper cool. I do the love dragons, and chimera and steampunk vibes of the world. It’s unique and fresh and what really held the story together for me.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, battle themes, magical and physical altercations

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Book Review: A Curse for True Love (Once Upon a Broken Heart #3) by Stephanie Garber

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 385 pages
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publisher: Flatiron
Release Date: October 24th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two villains, one girl, and a deadly battle for happily ever after.

Evangeline Fox ventured to the Magnificent North in search of her happy ending, and it seems as if she has it. She’s married to a handsome prince and lives in a legendary castle. But Evangeline has no idea of the devastating price she’s paid for this fairytale. She doesn’t know what she has lost, and her husband is determined to make sure she never finds out . . . but first he must kill Jacks, the Prince of Hearts.

Blood will be shed, hearts will be stolen, and true love will be put to the test in A Curse for True Love, the breathlessly anticipated conclusion to the Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy.

THOUGHTS.

I have seen reviews ALLLLL over the place for this finale, let’s throw mine into the ring.

The first have was a bit of a struggle, with the addition of two more POV’s I don’t think it worked as well as I hoped in the context of a short book (9 hours audio time). ESPECIALLY when you’re dealing with a love triangle we all know has only one ending. I was tired of wasting my time with the other guy when he was handing out red flags to everyone who walked by him.

BUT. Jacks was next level. I looooved the protection he provided, the way he was always there and how he cared for Evangeline every step of the way. The second half was incredible and I loved how things worked out. The confessions of love was IMMACULATE and I was losing my cool in the middle of Costco because of the emotions.

A bit of an up and down journey but ultimately one I was a fan of. I mean, I binged this book because I needed more more more, just wish there were a few more Jacks moments to really bring it home.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate-high

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Book Review: 50 Ways to Win Back Your Lover (Bower Boys #1) by Kelly Siskind

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 331 pages
Author: Kelly Siskind
Publisher: Montlake
Release Date: September 6th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From Kelly Siskind comes a slow-burn romantic comedy about one man’s creative attempt to win back his high school sweetheart after a change in fortune gives them a second chance at love.

Growing up, I had it all—my art, close friends, a gorgeous girlfriend who owned my heart—but then my life exploded.

Turns out my father was laundering money, and my whole family got shoved into witness protection. No notice. No chance to explain. I was ripped away from beautiful, blue-eyed Delilah Moon, shattering both our worlds.

A decade later, fate has given us a second chance.

The cartel my father worked for has been wiped out. I’ve returned to my hometown, determined to win back the love of my life. But Delilah is engaged.

Or…is she?

I’m almost positive she’s lying about her fiancé to protect her heart. Which means I need to up my game.

I’ve made a list of fifty ways to prove we’re meant to be. Except Delilah’s barely looking at me, never mind swooning. I have a feeling my disappearance scarred her more than she’s admitting, and no one in town will tell me what happened…

NOT FOR ME.

The idea was there. I was hopeful, but I just don’t love the way everything shook out in the end.

I LOVE the concept of a MMC only POV. That’s fun, I haven’t read that before. Within all of that was some of this books downfall. It does not work for me to hear over and over “c*ck twitches, bulging pants, etc.”. It feels like unnecessary innuendo that takes me out of the book each and every time. I get the physical attraction aspect, lets add more to the other elements of a relationship too.

The second chance trope worked. I liked the witness protection program back story (once again, haven’t read that before) which made for some interesting angles. I think it would have been cool to have a little more suspense? I guess this was supposed to be wholly romance though so that’s fine.

I liked the audiobook narrator and I did enjoy most aspects of both characters. There is a third act issue that makes me shake my head. Everything was just okay about this (which makes me sad because I LOVED Siskind’s previous series).

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: multiple open; high explicit
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: father in prison, witness protection program, mentions of gang violence, recounted near death injury

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Book Review: The Last Love Note by Emma Grey

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Fiction + Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Emma Grey
Publisher: Zibby Books
Release Date: November 28th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

You may never stop loving the one you lost. But you can still find love again.

Kate is a bit of a mess. Two years after losing her young husband Cameron, she’s grieving, solo parenting, working like mad at her university fundraising job, always dropping the ball—and yet clinging to her sense of humor.

Lurching from one comedic crisis to the next, she also navigates an overbearing mom and a Tinder-obsessed best friend who’s determined to matchmake Kate with her hot new neighbor.

When an in-flight problem leaves Kate and her boss, Hugh, stranded for a weekend on the east coast of Australia, she finally has a chance, away from her son, to really process her grief and see what’s right in front of her. Can she let go of the love of her life and risk her heart a second time?

When it becomes clear that Hugh is hiding a secret, Kate turns to the trail of scribbled notes she once used to hold her life together. The first note captured her heart. Will the last note set it free?

The Last Love Note will make listeners laugh, cry, and renew their faith in the resilience of the human heart—and in love itself.

Thank you to LibroFM for the audiobook and Ro Romanello PR for the gifted copy.

THIS HURT.

I’ve gotta admit, I’m actually not one to pick up a widow based book because it sends my own anxiety through the roof. BUT, I had heard great things about this and still wanted to give it a try and I honestly enjoyed this so much. This was EMOTIONAL and heartbreaking and slowly but surely watching hope and time win out in the battle against losing your spouse way too soon.

I liked that Kate was a mess. I felt it was accurate to the story being portrayed. Grief is an up and down, absolutely non-linear battle and we saw many facets of that fact. The flashbacks only increased the emotional turmoil and showed how deep and raw this journey has been.

If I was being a little nitpicky I do wish there had been a touch more romance (because my initial interpretation of the book was that it was a romance first). But, upon finishing I saw the plot as a whole and feel like it went where it needed to in order to allow Kate to find some solid ground for herself.

If you’re in need of a good cry book, this is it.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Fiction + Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: losing a husband to early onset Alzheimer’s, miscarriage, grief depiction, mentions of losing a partner (briefly recounted, cancer)

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