Book Review: Home is Where You Are by Melissa Grace

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Rating: ☆☆
Audience: Contemporary romance
Length: 328 pages
Author: Melissa Grace
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: October 27th, 2020
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BOOK SUMMARY:

Olivia Sinclair left her dreams of a music career behind, along with her hopes for love and a family. With her husband having left her for more fertile pastures, she’s content to focus her energy on her thriving bakery, a new home, and an ornery rescue cat named Mama. That is until Liv’s best friend drags her to a concert where she meets the handsome (and much younger) frontman of the popular band, Midnight in Dallas.

Jaxon Slade is looking for a little inspiration. Up against a deadline, his ability to write music has escaped him. But when he meets Liv backstage, all of that changes. Jax is instantly captivated by her witty sense of humor and effortlessly beautiful voice. As the two grow closer, he begins to see a future with Liv by his side. All he has to do is convince her that their connection is worth the risk.

But when Jax suggests taking their relationship to the stage as a duo, fame makes some of the most painful details of Liv’s past public, testing her belief in their relationship and herself. Liv must decide between being the woman the world and her ex told her she was, or choosing the woman she was always meant to be. Home Is Where You Are, the first in the Midnight In Dallas series, is a story of love, friendship, and the family we choose.

NO.

Yeah, I should have DNFed this. I acknowledge that choice. I kept thinking there’d be a turnaround. There was not.

First mistake, the instant, first chapter, all consuming, I’m in love with this person. I know this can be accomplished well, but here, there was absolutely NO ANGST. None. I wanted to feel something for these two, but being thrown into love within the first chapter annoyed me. I knew nothing about anyone before the entire plot was laid out. You knew exactly where things were going. I could have told you the plot (including “twists”) without reading more than the first chapter.

The initial issues ramped up the pronounced drama throughout. There’s some good moments in here about a few things, but that was the small good I found.

I didn’t like how some of the characters were portrayed either. A lot of it bugged me.

I think I’ll stop here. It’s enough.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: kisses to closed door
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: discussion of infertility and a past miscarriage, growing up in foster care, a parent with a drug addiction, losing a spouse to cancer, losing a spouse to an accident, divorce

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Book Review: The Inadequate Heir (The Bridge Kingdom #3) by Danielle L. Jensen

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: New Adult Fantasy Romance
Length: 625 pages
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Publisher: Audible Originals
Release Date: November 18th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Return to the world of The Bridge Kingdom in this sensuous fantasy full of romance and intrigue that is perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Silver Flames.

A soldier raised as heir to an empire, Zarrah is motivated by two truths. The first is that the Veliant family murdered her mother. And the second is that her pursuit of vengeance will put every last one of them in their graves.

The Endless War between Maridrina and Valcotta has raged for generations, leaving thousands of Zarrah’s people dead and countless more orphaned. So when she’s given command of the contested city of Nerastis, Zarrah is prepared to do whatever it takes to destroy the Maridrinian forces who oppose her. And to kill the Veliant prince who leads them.

Yet a chance encounter with an anonymous, and handsome, Maridrinian causes Zarrah to question whether the violence she’s perpetrated is justice or a crime. And as she continues to meet the nameless man each night, she finds common ground – and fiery passion – in his arms.

But when identities are revealed, Zarrah must decide whether to embrace a chance at peace…or march to the drums of war.

THIS WAS EVERYTHING.

I know my review won’t fully encapsulate how much I loved, LOVED this forbidden fantasy romance. I’ll just say it again, READ THE BRIDGE KINGDOM SERIES.

Keris is my new man. Holy wow did I love him (and who would think I’d love a blonde man? lololol). I loved his tenacity and absolute unbending will to do anything he needed to in order to protect Zarrah. But never fear, Zarrah is an amazing heroine in her own right who takes down the forces around her with some killer moves. I LOVE THESE TWO. TIH was about double the length of TBK/TTQ which means we got a whooooole lot more. I love that there was more depth, more nuances, further understanding of choices and the world. IT’S ALL HERE.

I would completely forget that this actually covers the entire TTQ timeline. I was wrapped up in what felt like a new story. I love that it all was fresh and even when there were some moments of cross over I was over the top anxious wondering what was going to happen next.

AND THE VILLAINS. There’s top notch ones running around this story. Another was added that made me want to throw them across a room. THE BETRAYAL. THE ENDING. MY HEART HURTS. I thought I was emotionally prepared, but alas, DLJ knows how to rip my heart out and beg for the next book.

Needless to say, YOU MUST READ THIS.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: multiple open door
  • Violence: murder, torture, executions, physical altercations, weaponry, many near death experiences

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Book Review: Knight (Fae Games #2) by Karen Lynch

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2
Audience: Urban Fantasy + Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Karen Lynch
Publisher: Tempest Press
Release Date: January 5th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Jesse risked everything to bring her mother and father home, but her life is far from back to normal. With her parents’ memories of their abduction gone, Jesse is no closer to finding answers, and the threat still looms over her family.

When the Agency announces that a powerful Fae artifact is missing, Jesse suspects it’s connected to her parents’ disappearance. Until the artifact is found, her family will never be safe. This job might be more than she can handle alone, but is she willing to accept help from the people who betrayed her, from the one person she is trying hard to forget?

The only thing Jesse knows for sure is that the game is not over. The rules have changed, there are dangerous new players on the board, and the stakes are higher than ever. She’s always been smart and resourceful, but it might take the goddess herself to save Jesse from what comes next.

THAT ENDING THOUGH.

This series has been so good so far. Exactly what I needed. New adult urban fantasy with all the faes I could want. These books are hard to put down.

Jesse is still the same character as before. I thought she grew even more here with all of the things thrown at her this round. She’s gotta be one of my new fav heroines. I love her inner dialogue and witty banter. How passionate she is about caring for her family and taking care of business.

I neeeeed more Lukas though. That’s my only minor complaint. I want more of this fae prince and I want it now. The romance could be built up a little bit more. Things amped up a bit between the two but I wholly expect that to change in the last book (hopefully).

I liked the narrative here and where the story went. The plot flows pretty seamlessly through bounty catches, espionage and recoveries. The ending definitely dropped some huge information and I must know how that plays out in the next book.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Urban Fantasy
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: kidnapping, murder, physical and magical altercations, blood depiction

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Book Review: Dark of the West (Glass Alliance #1) by Joanna Hathaway

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Rating: ☆☆ ☆☆
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 480 pages
Author: Joanna Hathaway
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: February 5th, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He was raised in revolution. She was raised in a palace. Can their love stop a war? Code Name Verity meets The Winner’s Curse in Joanna Hathaway’s Dark of the West, a breathtaking YA fantasy debut.

Aurelia Isendare is a princess of a small kingdom in the North, raised in privilege but shielded from politics as her brother prepares to step up to the throne. Halfway around the world, Athan Dakar, the youngest son of a ruthless general, is a fighter pilot longing for a life away from the front lines. When Athan’s mother is shot and killed, his father is convinced it’s the work of his old rival, the Queen of Etania—Aurelia’s mother. Determined to avenge his wife’s murder, he devises a plot to overthrow the Queen, a plot which sends Athan undercover to Etania to gain intel from her children.

Athan’s mission becomes complicated when he finds himself falling for the girl he’s been tasked with spying upon. Aurelia feels the same attraction, all the while desperately seeking to stop the war threatening to break between the Southern territory and the old Northern kingdoms that control it—a war in which Athan’s father is determined to play a role. As diplomatic ties manage to just barely hold, the two teens struggle to remain loyal to their families and each other as they learn that war is not as black and white as they’ve been raised to believe.

HERE FOR THIS.

What a great start to a series. I’m glad I picked this one up, and enjoyed it as an audio version too!

I’ve heard this had some World War vibes and I can definitely see that. It was really interesting to match that up with a fantasy world (but with no magic). My only issue was that the world was a bit confusing. I had a hard time remembering which nation was which and who was mad at who. By the end that was mostly cleared up, but I’m hopeful that book two expounds further.

I also want to mention that I’ve seen some comparison to The Winner’s Curse (which is one of my favorite series FORRRREVERRRRR) and I can see some semblance. Competing nations, forbidden romance, a princess. So yes, if you enjoye that series, I’d give this one a try.

Smitten with the romance. I was worried there would be some insta-love based off of how the plot was rolling, BUT ALAS, there was not. Just some genuine attraction and burgeoning feelings. I love that Aurelia and Athan wrote letters to each other. It made the fact that they were in different locations not seem as big of an issue since I still got those connections over the letters.

I’m genuinely thrilled to see where this goes. There’s a lot here. Plenty of things to still happen. I love the action and pacing of this first book.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy romance
  • Language: some
  • Romance: kiss
  • Violence: airplane battles (and crashes), physical altercations, gun violence
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a parent, depictions of wartime

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