Book Review: Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman

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Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: Young adult contemporary
Length: 384 pages
Author: Akemi Dawn Bowman
Publisher: Ink Road
Release Date: March 10th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Harley Milano has dreamed of being a trapeze artist for as long as she can remember. With parents who run a famous circus in Las Vegas, she spends almost every night in the big top watching their lead aerialist perform, wishing with all her soul that she could be up there herself one day.

After a huge fight with her parents, who continue to insist she go to school instead, Harley leaves home, betrays her family and joins the rival traveling circus Maison du Mystère. There, she is thrust into a world that is both brutal and beautiful, where she learns the value of hard work, passion and collaboration. But at the same time, Harley must come to terms with the truth of her family and her past—and reckon with the sacrifices she made and the people she hurt in order to follow her dreams.

SOME GOOD.

I liked this book. I did, just some main character issues that were hard to continue to look past as the book went on.

Harley was so intensely selfish, the entire book. Everything she did hurt someone around her and she would acknowledge this, but then do nothing to work on changing and growing from her choices. Maybe by the end were some new insights from Harley. By then though, I was over her attitude and her treatment of others.

I did love the circus theme. It’s a small sub-genre I also enjoy. I like the setting and all of the magical acts and characters that come with it. Harley’s coworkers were fun and helped find her footing after she had ran off.

The romance was cute! I enjoyed the slow movement and how it didn’t overtake the story since this wasn’t a romance at its heart. Harley had to learn a lot while she was on her own and did at least get something out of it.

Harley, biracial, often felt disconnected with her cultures and a large family pulling her different ways. I really liked this diversity aspect and conversations she had with herself and others. I loved that by the end she had started to find herself and where she fit in and how she could feel like she was apart of her family.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult contemporary fiction
  • Language: some mild
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content warnings: some suicide ideation, and discussion of mental health (anxiety and depression)

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Book Review: The Royal We (Royal We #1) by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

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Rating: ☆☆ 1/2
Audience: Contemporary romance
Length: 454 pages
Author: Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Release Date: April 7th, 2015
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

“I might be Cinderella today, but I dread who they’ll think I am tomorrow. I guess it depends on what I do next.”

American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it’s Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain’s future king. And when Bex can’t resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.

Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick’s sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he’s fated to become.

Which is how she gets into trouble.

Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she’s sacrificed for love-her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself-will have been for nothing.

UNIMPRESSED.

We had a pretty good start then things just went downhill.

I liked the beginning. It was cute! Meeting at college, getting to know a new country and being truly on Rebecca’s own (without her twin). I honestly thought this would have been dragged out longer over the course of the book. Mostly because I was leaning towards that being that point of this romance. How they met, fell in-love, etc. What I got was…not what I was expecting.

About halfway is when things sunk, but I was far enough in that I decided to go ahead and finish it out. The Royal We could have easily been 100 pages (at least) shorter. There was an incredible amount of focus on the media. I understand that it plays a big role in all of their lives, but with how much it was discussed it got boring and repetitive. Not to mention the only characters I liked were Cilla and Gaz. And they were side characters.

Not to mention, with the way it ended, I think it as meant to be romantic and spontaneous. What it really portrayed was a relationship with a bunch of band-aids. There wasn’t enough of the romance with Nick and Rebecca having sincere and productive conversations about their difficulties.

I really just struggled with this one for a lot of reasons and I don’t want to continue listing them. This wasn’t the romantic normal girl turns princess trope I was hoping for.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary fiction + romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses / make-outs; a lot of closed door scenes
  • Trigger warnings: loss of a parent, and a parent suffering from mental health issues

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Book Review: From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: New adult fantasy romance
Length: 634 pages
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Blue Box Press
Release Date: March 30th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A Maiden

Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.

A Duty

The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.

A Kingdom

Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.

LATEST OBESSSION.

Hello there, yes you. Have you read this yet? Are you reading trying to decide if you should? WELL I’M GOING TO TELL YOU THAT YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD.

It took months of convincing and seeing it around Bookstagram to finally read this. And I can’t believe I waited so long because I loved it!

The romance for this was perfectly choreographed. That first seen between Hawke and Poppy? Hot dang. I looooved the banter and heated moments. The quiet murmurings and clear intent. It had some ACOMAF and The Bridge Kingdom vibes and if you’ve ever read anything of mine, you know I love those books. This gets added to New Adult Fantasy Romance favorite list.

I only ever struggled a tiny bit with the world-building. It wasn’t until the second half when the rest of the story began unfolding that I really understood what was happening and where the pieces fit. I had been confused about all the different creatures, but can say I have grasped it all.

You can see the major reveal coming from awhile away, but that never detracted from the story. I actually liked how it was laid out and even though I knew it was coming it still dragged at my heart and made me excited to see what happened next. I have so many questions for the sequel!?

This was just a gem of a book that needs more love. Highly recommend if this is a favored genre of yours!!

Overall audience notes:

  • New adult fantasy romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses / make-outs; a few open door scenes, mildly detailed
  • Violence: bloody, gory and definitely violent; battle scenes, physical, murder, assault
  • Trigger warnings: sexual assault and harassment

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Book Review: Intertwine (House of Oak #1) by Nichole Van

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Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: Historical fiction romance / Time Traveling
Length: 300 pages
Author: Nichole Van
Publisher: Florenza Publishing
Release Date: February 27th, 2014
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Time is not a river. It is a vast cosmic sea. Where each life exists as rippling circles on its surface, past and future being eternally present. And occasionally, one expanding ring intertwines with that of another, weaving the lives of two people together…

In 2012, Emme Wilde can’t find the right guy. She wants to feel that swept-off-your-feet dizziness of true love. But so far, her dating life has come up short. Star Trek geek? Nice but too serious. Hippy artist? Cute but too vulnerable. Instead, Emme obsesses over the portrait of an unknown man in an old locket. Granted, a seriously dreamy guy with delicious, wind-swept hair she just itches to run her fingers through. But still. Dead men may be great listeners, but they are not exactly boyfriend material. Emme travels to England, determined to uncover his history and conquer the strong connection she feels.

In 1812, James Knight has given up finding the right woman. All he wants is someone to share his love of adventure. Instead, his life has become a Shakespearean drama. His brother languishes in a tragic star-crossed romance. His beloved sister clings to life, slowly dying of consumption. But then he finds a beautiful mystery woman, dripping wet and half-dead, beneath a tree on his estate. Now if he can uncover her history, perhaps adventure—and romance—will find him at last.

MOSTLY CHARMING.

This has been sitting on my TBR for YEARS. I can’t even remember who recommended it and why, but there it sat until I was reminded that it was there. I wasn’t wholly disappointed, so that’s fine.

The very first thought I had was this is like Outlander. We have a time-traveling woman fall in love with a man from 200 years prior. I couldn’t help but compare the two. There were some different aspects to the story though, which allowed me to enjoy this for what it was.

I thought the romance was cute, and I was enjoying the development of it. They had some charming banter, and even in insta-love world it wasn’t bad. What frustrated me was the amount of time skipping that happened. Weeks would go by between each chapter and apparently the couple was more in love! Yes, that does make sense, but I wanted to see those interactions!!?

It kind of cracked me up how easily James accepted Emme’s time traveling ways. He was a charming character though and I thought he was precious. The ending was cute and everything I thought it needed. I wish I had known prior that this is a STANDALONE that’s part of a series (different main character for each book). I know this would have helped me accept the timeline a lot more smoothly.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical fiction romance + time traveling
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses

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