Book Review: Refine (House of Oak #4) by Nichole Van

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Time Travel Romance
Length: 375 pages
Author: Nichole Van
Publisher: Fiorenza Publishing
Release Date: September 25th, 2015
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Each life is tethered to others, tendrils wrapping through time itself . . . drawing people to each other . . .In 1815, Timothy, Viscount Linwood–handsome, arrogant, privileged–never veers from the refined rules of his world. Cheerfulness and other unsavory emotions are for lesser persons. Anything that smacks of trade is to be shunned. Honor and pride above all else. Consequently, when he discovers his estates are bankrupt, he decides to woo and marry an heiress post-haste. After all, love is for lesser-mortals. But Fate intervenes and draws him to a vibrant woman who makes him want things he can never have. Can a pompous lord change enough to find redemption?In 2015, Jasmine Fleury just wants her happily-ever-after. If only she could stop losing people instead–her grandmother, boyfriends . . . and now her entire family. Worse, she finds herself babysitting a haughty nineteenth century lord who can’t even shave himself. What grown man can’t shave himself? She has no interest in playing damsel-in-shining-armor to his knight-in-distress. But Fate has other plans . . . .This fourth installment in the Amazon bestselling House of Oak series can easily be read as a stand-alone book. 

HMM.

I enjoyed this book but also felt some struggles with it. The background for the FMC was wild and I don’t think it fit into the story line of how the portal has been working this entire series.

I did like the enemies to lovers banter and both main characters learning how to love each other and see how the differences between them aren’t all bad. There’s a lot of cute moments between Jasmine and Timothy. I loved seeing many of the previous couples too.

It’s a good audiobook and I’ll finish up the series. I am just not a time travel romance gal (generally speaking) so while I liked this, I didn’t love it.

Overall audience notes:

  • Time travel romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low

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ARC Book Review: All’s Well that Friends Well (Lucky in Love #2) by Gracie Ruth Mitchell

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Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 390 pages
Author: Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 14th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

My love for Luca Slater is not unrequited. It’s just…not requited yet.

Did I break into his house? Technically yes. And did I eavesdrop on that one tiny little conversation? Also yes. But I had good reasons! Intentions matter, you know?

Unfortunately, Luca does not agree. So while I fell for him at first sight, his opinion of me is dismally low, and it’s about to get lower. Because as of today, I am officially working at his office…as the new janitor.

Cleaning toilets isn’t sexy, and I am not cut out for sanitizer and scrub brushes. But I need this job–begged for this job, in fact–so I’m going to make the best of it.

When I see Luca is having some work problems of his own, however, and when I realize I might be just the person to help, I offer my services immediately. As the new branch manager, he needs help softening his image in order to win over his employees, and if there’s one thing I’m great at, it’s people skills.

If I can prove useful, maybe Luca will finally see me as a woman instead of a silly little girl. Maybe he’ll finally realize I’m the one he’s destined to be with forever.

So I’ll help Luca win over his employees, and while I’m at it, I’ll win him over, too. I’m going to do everything I can to make this man fall for me…

One mopped floor at a time.
.
.
This is Juliet Marigold’s story, book two in the Lucky in Love series! These books can be read in any order as complete standalones, but they are best enjoyed when read in order.

Thank you to Gracie Ruth Mitchell for the gifted eARC.

IT WAS SWEET.

Another GRM book I adored so much. This one really took you on a journey from strangers to friends to lovers and it was intriguing to see Juliet be the pursuer. She’s a bit unhinged in her antics and that got to me a touch, buuuut it started becoming endearing and I liked seeing the switch up in this genre.

And I adored Luca. He’s the epitome of a grumpy character who has a soft heart underneath all of the gruff. I really liked his growth and facing the hard things and slowly seeing him break his control to let himself live a little. AND LET ME TELL Y’ALL, that first kissing scene lit my kindle on FIRE. Gosh dang it was hot y’all.

I liked Juliet’s growth a lot too. I understood and could resonate with much of her inner monologue and there were many tender scenes with her and Luca that showed the strength she’s been creating to find a new and enjoyable life path for herself. There were moments that made me laugh, swoon, and squeeze my heart.

I can’t wait for the next book!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Content warnings: loss of a loved one (recounted), anxiety

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Book Review: Brand of Light (The Droseran Saga #1) by Ronie Kendig

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: 400 pages
Author: Ronie Kendig
Publisher: Enclave Publishing
Release Date: December 3rd, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

There’s a price on her head, and it has everything to do with the brand on her arm.

Tertian Space Coalition has blessed every planet in the quadrants with high technology, save one: Drosero. But in spite of their tenuous treaty with the ruling clans, TSC has plans for the backward planet. And they’re not alone.

After a catastrophic explosion, Kersei Dragoumis awakens in a derelict shuttle, alone, injured, and ignorant of the forbidden technology that has swept her into a nightmare. The brand she’s borne since childhood burns mysteriously, but the pain is nothing to that when she learns her family is dead and she is accused of their murders.

Across the quadrants, Marco Dusan responds to the call of a holy order-not to join them, but to seek a bounty. Gifted-or cursed-with abilities that mark him a Kynigos, a tracker sworn to bring interplanetary fugitives to justice, Marco discovers this particular bounty has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with prophecy. One that involves the hunter as much as the hunted.

Thank you to the author for a gifted audiobook.

INTRIGUED.

I love having a new completed series to work through and I am definitely invested enough to keep going on this one! This is such a cool sci-fi world. I love all of the different groups and planets and politicking. Once you’ve got your footing in the world and what’s happening it’s easy to be invested.

There’s multiple POV’s and multiple romances and I loved following them all. I enjoyed these characters and thought the audiobook narrator did a good job of all the different voices needed. I did start to feel the length of the story towards the end and thought some of it could have been a bit shorter, but like I said, it doesn’t deter me from continuing. There’s action scenes that ramp up the intensity and I was on pins and needles multiple times.

Such a good start, can’t wait for more!

Overall audience notes:

  • Sci-Fi + Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: heated kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings: torture

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Book Review: One Final Turn (Electra McDonnell #5) by Ashley Weaver

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: Ashley Weaver
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Release Date: June 3rd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The fifth and final installment in the Electra McDonnell series brings safecracker Ellie on a mission across World War II-era Europe to Lisbon, Portugal to rescue a key group of escaped POWs.

Ellie McDonnell is about to embark on her most perilous mission go to Lisbon, Portugal to save her beloved cousin Toby who has reportedly escaped from a German prisoner of war camp. Toby has been missing since the Battle of Dunkirk and Ellie had all but lost hope in ever seeing him again until Major Ramsey, the British military intelligence officer she had been working closely with over the past few months, shared the news he’d intercepted.

Nothing will stop Ellie from finding her cousin, not even the awkward experience of having to travel to an unknown country with Ramsey after he’d dismissed her for being untrustworthy just as she’d realized she had fallen in love with him. Under the supervision of Captain Archie Blandings, a charming intelligence officer based in Lisbon, Ellie meets with undercover operatives to track down where Toby might be hiding from the Nazis and whether they are too late to safely recover him, all the while fighting her feelings for Ramsey and the incessant burden of war looming around her at every turn.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the gifted ARC.

WHAT A CONCLUSION.

I AM SO SAD THIS SERIES IS OVER. I have loved every single book and this was an amazing wrap-up to a fun and romantic series.

The mystery continued well throughout and the pages truly fly by. I love how the story is executed in a short amount of pages. This took a few turns I wasn’t expecting and hot dang I loved it!! I loved the romance, the characters, the plot, the mystery, just everything.

I feel like I can’t write much more without giving things away for the series. If you’re reading this review first you can know, without a doubt, that this entire series is worth the read and is now complete for you to binge!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical mystery + romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: war themes, loss of life, weapons violence

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