Book Review: The Tarnished (The Blameless #2) by E.S. Christison

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: MG Fantasy
Length: 372 pages
Author: E.S. Christison
Publisher: Wildling Press
Release Date: November 22nd, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Princess Briana has escaped imprisonment and is on the run. Her beloved Predonia is in upheaval as the villainous Vaylec tightens his grip on the Blameless, tearing the kingdom apart in search of the girl who’s evaded him. To regain her people’s freedom, Brie must turn her back on her friends and her new home as she and her uncles race to uncover the secrets of Vaylec’s mysterious and growing power. There is no safety nor rest for the usurped heir to the throne, and Brie must dig deep inside herself for strength to take action as her world crumbles around her.

Thank you to the author for the gifted copy!

SOLID SEQUEL.

This was another enjoyable read for The Blameless series. And one of my favorite aspects is that it really is great for the middle grade/young YA audience. There’s some heavy themes but nothing overly gory/detailed and I really love the FMC.

Briana is committed to helping her kingdom and doing the hard things to get there. I love seeing her work and train to be the best person she can be. There’s mistakes made along the way and I love how sincere apologies are given and you can see the heart of those surrounding Bri.

I love all of the side characters and the big found family. Getting the point of view from the antagonist really amps things up too. Plenty of action, intrigue, what will happen next and some good fun moments to give the cast a breather. It’s a good series and I look forward to reading the next book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Middle grade fantasy
  • Language: none
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, small scale battle scenes, weapons and physical violence

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Book Review: Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Audrey Bellezza & Emily Harding
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: May 23rd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this witty and romantic debut novel, Jane Austen’s Emma meets the misadventures of Manhattan’s modern dating scene as two lifelong friends discover that, in the search for love, you sometimes don’t have to look any further than your own backyard.

Beautiful, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse has lived twenty-three years in her tight-knit Upper East Side neighborhood with very little to distress or vex her…that is, until her budding matchmaking hobby results in her sister’s marriage—and subsequent move downtown. Now, with her sister gone and all her friends traveling abroad, Emma must start her final year of grad school grappling with an entirely new emotion: boredom. So when she meets Nadine, a wide-eyed Ohio transplant with a heart of gold and drugstore blonde highlights to match, Emma not only sees a potential new friend but a new project. If only her overbearing neighbor George Knightley would get out of her way.

Handsome, smart, and successful, the only thing that frustrates Knightley more than a corked whiskey is his childhood friend, Emma. Whether it’s her shopping sprees between classes or her revolving door of ill-conceived hobbies, he is only too happy to lecture her on all the finer points of adulthood she’s so hell-bent on ignoring. But despite his gripes—and much to his own chagrin—Knightley can’t help but notice that the girl next door is a woman now…one who he suddenly can’t get out of his head.

As Emma’s best laid plans collide with everyone from hipster baristas to meddling family members to flaky playboy millionaires, these two friends slowly realize their need to always be right has been usurped by a new need entirely, and it’s not long before they discover that even the most familiar stories still have some surprises.

Thank you to Book Club Favorites for the gifted copy!

ENJOYABLE.

I admit that I have only read Emma once and haven’t seen a single adaptation. Therefore, I cannot speak to much about how closely it resembles the original. I noticed some things that I remember and it was fun to see those allusions.

The romance was really solid. I liked the slow burn, childhood friends to lovers vibes. There’s good banter and heat and I loved Knightley’s alpha side that popped up occasionally.

Emma wasn’t my favorite and drove me a bit wild, but I think that was supposed to be part of her charm and it didn’t ruin the story for me. I thought it was a quick audiobook that kept me engaged and was a contemporary romance I’d easily recommend to others.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: 2-3 open door
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a mother mentioned, attempted unwanted romantic advances

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Book Review: Mother of Death and Dawn (The War of Lost Hearts #3) by Carissa Broadbent

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 722 pages
Author: Carissa Broadbent
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: February 10th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Tell me, little butterfly, what would you do for love?

In the wake of a crushing defeat, Tisaanah and Maxatarius have been ripped apart. Tisaanah is desperate to rescue Max from his imprisonment, even as her people’s fight for freedom grows more treacherous. But within the walls of Ilyzath, Max’s mind is a shadow of what it once was… leaving his past a mystery and his future at the mercy of Ara’s new, ruthless queen.

Meanwhile, in the Fey lands, Aefe has been dragged back into this world by a king who vows to destroy civilizations in her name. But even as her past returns to claim her, her former self is a stranger.

Tisaanah, Max, and Aefe are thrust into the center of a cataclysm between the human and Fey worlds. The unique magic they share is key to either winning the war, or ending it.

But that power demands sacrifice. Tisaanah may be forced to choose between love and duty. Max cannot forge his future without confronting his past. And Aefe must decide between reclaiming who she was, or embracing who she has become.

The choices they make will either reshape this world forever…or end it..

In the harrowing finale of the War of Lost Hearts trilogy, a tale of romance, magic, vengeance, and redemption comes to a close — perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Miranda Honfleur, and Danielle Jenson.

ON THE SLOWER SIDE.

This finale had everything I wanted, and 200 pages I didn’t need.

I loooove these characters. The strong friendship and found family through war is powerful and I couldn’t get enough of the continual support offered over and over as things only became more dire.

The romance between Max and Tisaanah melts me too. I thought the steam in this felt a bit random (like, gotta throw it in here because this is the only chance!). There relationship though was sweet. And intense and I love the partnership they formed over the course of this series.

This was filled with beautiful writing and many lovely sentiments about life, love and more. I really liked the ending and thought it worked out well for all parties. Everyone got the deserved ending and I looove a epilogue at the end. There’s plenty of action and politicking mixed in with the world building and magic system.

I look forward to Broadbent’s next book!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: 3-4 open door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: war themes, physical and magical altercations, weapons violence, descriptive torture scenes, massive loss of life, grief depictions

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ALC Book Review: The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance + Magical Realism
Length: 352 pages
Author: Ashley Poston
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: June 27th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.

Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.

Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.

After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.

Thank you to PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook.

I AM A MESS.

I received a DM saying to read this book and so I downloaded it ASAP and here we are a day later and I LOVED READING THIS SO MUCH (please pay attention to the trigger warnings at the end for some heavy topics).

The romance was DIVINE. It was this mix of wrong timing, second chance, when will I see you again magical realism that had me in a chokehold. Every time the nickname Lemon was uttered I melted all over again. This undeniable chemistry and sense of this is my person was off the charts. I love them. I love them so much and so happy they found a way to each other.

The way grief was woven in broke my heart. It was beautifully written and spoken about and I felt many of those sentiments in my soul. There was healing and finding the light and hope that surrounds us, that sometimes is hard to notice.

I devoured this audiobook. Absolutely recommend that reading option. The narrator brought the entire story to life and made this book even more phenomenal.

I loved this one and need all of y’all to go read it too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: 2-3 open door; low-vague explicitness
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: suicide (recounted, grief and thoughts discussed throughout)

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