ARC Book Review: Stars and Smoke (Stars and Smoke #1) by Marie Lu

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Length: 336 pages
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Roaring Books Press
Release Date: March 28th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Meet Winter Young—rookie backup dancer turned global pop phenomenon. His star power has smashed records, selling out stadiums from LA to London. Now he’s bringing his swoon worthy assets to a whole new arena…

Infamous criminal tycoon Eli Morrison has just one weakness—his daughter, Penelope. And Penelope has just one wish for her nineteenth birthday—a private concert with Winter Young. When covert ops organization The Panacea Group approaches Winter with this once-in-a-lifetime chance to infiltrate Morrison’s inner circle, Winter must use his fame, cunning, and charisma to pull it off—only he won’t be on his own.

Posing as Winter’s bodyguard is the fiery Sydney Cossette, Panacea’s youngest spy. Sydney may be the only person alive impervious to Winter’s charms, but as the mission brings them closer, she’s forced to admit there’s more to this A-lister than slick dance moves and a handsome face. Panacea’s unlikeliest partners just might become its biggest heroes—and maybe even more—if they can survive each other first.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.

LIKED BY THE END.

This wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The Hating Game tagline felt like a misnomer (so if someone can point out where that was, please let me know). But the Mission Impossible vibes were there at least! I like this trend of a more romantic comedy + suspense. It’s a mood I am here for.

There wasn’t as much romance as I was hoping for. Though the second half did a better job of adding to those elements. I would have loved to have seen them be able to connect more and not just about the job they were on. I liked both Sydney and Winter as standalone characters. There were some flashbacks that helped flesh out their personalities and I think there’s going to be some great development in book two for both of them.

The antagonist was painfully obvious so don’t expect to be surprised by necessarily that piece. Action wise, I definitely enjoyed those scenes. High intensity, not quite sure what was going to happen. Waiting for the next page kind of on edge.

I do have plans to read the next book and I’m curious to see what the next adventure will bring!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romantic Suspense
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: med-high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: near death experiences, gun violence, kidnapping, poisoning, loss of a parent

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Book Review: Love & Olives (Love & Gelato #3) by Jenna Evans Welch

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 506 pages
Author: Jenna Evans Welch
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: November 10th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Santorini felt like an island holding its breath. As if it were keeping in a secret…

Liv Varanakis doesn’t like to think about her father much, which makes sense—he fled to Greece when she was only eight, leaving her with just a few painful memories of their shared love for the lost city of Atlantis. So when teenage Liv suddenly receives a postcard from her father, who explains that National Geographic is supporting a documentary about his theories on Atlantis—and asks if she will fly out to Greece and help—Liv is less than thrilled.

When she arrives in gorgeous Santorini, things are just as awkward as she’d imagined. There are so many questions, so many emotions that flood to the surface after seeing her father for the first time in years. Liv doesn’t want to get sucked back into her father’s world. She also definitely doesn’t want Theo, her father’s charismatic so-called protégé, to witness her struggle.

Even so, she can’t help but be charmed by everything Santorini has to offer—the beautiful sunsets, the turquoise water, the sun-drenched villages, and the delicious cuisine. But not everything on the Greek island is as perfect as it seems. Because as Liv slowly begins to discover, her father may not have invited her to Greece for Atlantis, but for something much more important.

TAKE ME TO SANTORINI.

Oh wow. I read Love & Gelato years ago and adored it. I ended up skipping book two after seeing less than stellar reviews. I HAD NO IDEA THERE WAS A BOOK THREE??

I’m so glad I read it because it was the charming quintessential young adult contemporary that I love reading. This gave me major wanderlust about traveling and now I have officially added Santorini to my bucket list. I loved all of the Atlantis theories and lore. I remember a time when I was really into this fabled city and it was fun exploring that too. The ending made me tear up with the discussions on mental health and doing the best you can.

Olive held a lot of pieces I love about teen girls. I liked her bravery in going to see and confront her father, but also her willingness to see what’s been happening in his life. She had a great balance of (deserved) anger and finding new joys while overcoming personal anxieties. I thought the sweet romance with Theo was so stinkin’ cute. It continually made me smile. My only tiny issue was that I hate when a main character dates someone off page for 95% of the book (he really didn’t have a point past the first 15%).

Anyways, LOVED THIS. A great edition to the series.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: bipolar disorder, panic attacks, smoking

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ARC Book Review: Six Scorched Roses (Crowns of Nyaxia #1.5) by Carissa Broadbent

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance Novella
Length: 187 pages
Author: Carissa Broadbent
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 21st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Six roses. Six vials of blood. Six visits to a vampire who could be her salvation… or her damnation.

Lilith has been dying since the day she was born. But while she long ago came to terms with her own imminent death, the deaths of everyone she loves is an entirely different matter. As her town slowly withers in the clutches of a mysterious god-cursed illness, she takes matters into her own hands.

Desperate to find a cure, Lilith strikes a bargain with the only thing the gods hate even more than her village: a vampire, Vale. She offers him six roses in exchange for six vials of vampire blood–the one hope for her town’s salvation.

But when what begins as a simple transaction gradually becomes something more, Lilith is faced with a terrifying realization: It’s dangerous to wander into the clutches of a vampire… and in a place already suffering a god’s wrath, more dangerous still to fall in love with one.

Six Scorched Roses is a standalone fantasy romance novella set in the world of the Crowns of Nyaxia series, perfect for those who love dark, romantic tales with bite and fans of Sarah J. Maas or Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Thank you to Book of Matches Media and Carissa Broadbent for the eARC.

LOVE.

I devoured this real fast when it dropped in my inbox and I am not upset with my choices one bit. It’s an easy book to fly through and to get lost in. I love how romantic it was and how even with the quicker pacing, still felt natural and not rushed.

I adored Lilith. I felt like she tried to make the best choices she could and over the novella really found some new pathways forward. I loved the STEM vibes and the bloodwork that Lilith worked on to try to help her sister and town survive. Throw in some cranky gods dealing out punishments and I was sold.

The romance was so sweet!! I don’t know, this book is on the dark spectrum and yet, this romance was tender. It felt slow and moving as they went from strangers to friends to lovers. I love how Vale started to respond to Lilith and the back and forth grumpy/sunshine nature of their relationship.

Ending was fantastic. I am incredibly excited to see how these characters will interact with others in The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King.

**Note: This can be read as a standalone before the first book, but recommended to read it after The Serpent & the Wings of Night.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance Novella
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: open door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: attempted sexual assault, loss of loved ones, a disease endemic, physical and magical altercations, near death experiences

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Book Review: Complete (The Sweet Rom”Com” #3) by Kortney Keisel

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 315 pages
Author: Kortney Keisel
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 24th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Ben and I are just friends.

We’ve tried to be more, but it never works. There’s no chemistry between us.

At least that’s the story I tell everyone.

Truth is, I’m pining for Ben. HARD. Like Taylor Swift, You Belong With Me, hard. I don’t know what happened. Suddenly, his casual touch is fire, and his easy smile stops my heart.

But Ben has put me in the friend zone. Permanently. His supermodel girlfriend and him setting me up with a pro football player confirm this.

It’s time to bury these feelings. Lock them up. A famous pro athlete is exactly what I need to get over my infatuation. Except Ben isn’t making things easy. He’s leveled up his touching and flirting—all good stuff unless you’re trying to move on with your life.

So what’s a girl to do? Confess my feelings and risk losing my best friend? Or keep on pretending and end up with the wrong man?

Complete is a friends-to-lovers, laugh-out-loud love story that keeps the romance closed-door. It’s book three in The Sweet Rom “Com” Series but can be read as a standalone.

GOOD HEAVENS.

I am a puddle after this one y’all!! Let me era of friends to lovers romances commence. This is one of the best renditions of this trope I’ve read.

Ben was such flirty hot mess and I loved it. I actually burst out in true laughter multiple times (aka the yacht scene IYKYK). There were many genuinely funny scenes that are the reason I love this romcom genre. Keisel did an amazing job at creating a book filled with serious subjects combined with the happiness I need when I read. I loved seeing Ben work through his parent issues. He definitely needed shaken a bit to get the point across, but when that aha moment hit you here the chorus shouting, FINALLY.

I adored Brooke!! She was a fantastic FMC that was filled with love and hope and I want to be her friend. The subplot with Trey actually worked out better than I could have hoped for. I was nervous that he’d get tossed aside, and I love how Keisel handled that. Not to mention, I am so here for the jealousy. I realized that I do love some jealous aspects (on both sides) to really push those feelings, when you know they are just IN LOVE.

Clearly I loved this. It’s my new favorite Keisel book and makes me excited for whatever she has in store next.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: death of a parent mentioned, recounting of home life (with yelling and indifferent parents)

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