ARC Book Review: The Beautiful Maddening by Shea Ernshaw

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: Shea Ernshaw
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: June 3rd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw comes a haunting romantic contemporary fantasy about a teen navigating her family’s love curse that blooms with their enchanted tulips every year.

Seventeen year-old Lark Goode wants only one to escape her small town of Cutwater and the history of her family name. It’s a history that began during the Dutch tulip mania of 1636, when Lark’s ancestor stole the last remaining tulip bulbs and fled to America. But when the tulips bloomed on American soil, madness sprouted from their snowy white petals.

The madness was love.

Now, generations later, the Goodes remain cursed—the unnatural flowers outside their home causing locals to fall helplessly in love with anyone carrying Goode blood in their veins. While her brother embraces the strange power, Lark wants nothing more than to be free from it.

But when she meets a boy who seems unaffected by the family curse, Lark finds herself falling headlong into a feeling she’s spent her whole life trying to avoid. Yet, all curses and magic come with a price, and the town of Cutwater soon sinks into a dangerous sickness tied to Lark and the ill-fated tulips.

To save the town, Lark will need to sacrifice everything—even true love—to break the spell. Because in the Goode family, love has a way of destroying everything.

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook and Simon Teen for the ARC.

UTTERLY BORING.

Y’all. If you catch me reading a Shea Ernshaw book from this point on please take it out of my hands and throw it across the room. I have read five book and enjoyed two and those are not good bookish odds in my mind.

I was really bored with this plot line. There wasn’t anything to it. Mysterious flowers, a dark family past, and an attempt at new love that doesn’t even end in what I considered a satisfying way. I struggled to get through the audiobook and it was under nine hours. NOW the narrator was great, no issues there, it was the book.

This is missing an edge of any sort. And better expansion of thoughts and themes.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild – moderate
  • Romance: vague open door
  • Violence: mild

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Book Review: Old Flames and New Fortunes by Sarah Hogle

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Sarah Hogle
Publisher: G.P. Putnam
Release Date: April 2nd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A steamy second-chance romance about a magical florist’s unexpected reunion with her high school sweetheart as she fake dates his soon-to-be stepbrother.

A small, magical town tucked away in rural Ohio, Moonville is the perfect place for flora fortunist Romina Tempest to expand her shop, where she uses the language of flowers to help the hopeful manifest their love lives. After giving up on her own big romance eleven years ago, at least she can bask in the promise of others’.

So, when the shop’s potential financier shares news of his wedding, Romina jumps on the opportunity to discuss buying the business. What better place to negotiate a deal than at a wedding, even if she has to fake-date her chaotic colleague Trevor to get an invitation? But all hell breaks loose when she discovers Trevor’s soon-to-be stepbrother is none other than Alex her high school sweetheart. Her greatest love. The boy who, eleven years ago, broke her heart, and who now thinks she and Trevor are dating. 

What starts as an innocent misunderstanding becomes a week-long fake dating scheme, as Romina resolves to make Alex pay for breaking her heart. The only issue? She can’t deny their still-burning connection. Caught between proving to Alex what he lost, and coming clean and risking her business, Romina must decide whether giving Alex another chance means going back on herself, or finally releasing her hold on the past.

CUTE AND QUIRKY.

I enjoyed this one so much. I loved all of the flower content and the whole plot set-up. The magical realism was at just the right level to add to the story without overwhelming it. This was a good second chance romance that brought some heated tension and angst, and some solid jealousy moments too.

There’s a lot of quirky side characters and sub plots that made me laugh. This book balanced not taking itself too seriously while covering some heavier topics too. There was a lot to work through for Romina and I loved where she landed in the end.

I thought a big third act full of nonsense was on the horizon, but pleasantly it was handled really well and with meaning. Unfortunately afterwards the last quarter of the book dragged on too long. I think things could have been wrapped up quicker with the same emotional hit.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 2-3 open door
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: grief from a break-up that also involves a child

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Book Review: The Things We Water by Mariana Zapata

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Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance
Length: 717 pages
Author: Mariana Zapata
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: May 2nd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Once upon a time, a girl found a magical puppy, and her life was never the same again.

Nina Popoca needs help.

So, so much of it.

The only place she can find that help is on a sprawling ranch in Colorado. A place hiding more than a community filled with magical creatures trying to live their lives in safety and in peace. A village that might hold the answers to questions she’s had her entire life.

And if that ranch is owned by her best friend’s hunky cousin?

…there are worse things in the world than having to live right by Henri Blackrock.

SHE DID IT.

I would absolutely read more paranormal romances from MZ. I loved this one!

My one little issue is the length. I really felt it this time around. The 720 pages could have been tightened up a bit but otherwise it’s a fantastic book.

I adored Henri and Nina. They are some beautiful souls. Spark fueled banter, chemistry for days and all of these soft tender moments that brought the connections between them. AND THE JEALOUS MOMENTS? Gosh those send me every dang time y’all. A perfectly well placed possessive scene? GIVE IT TO ME ALWAYS.

I loved seeing all of the different mythical creatures (of which I will not mention any, go read it!!). They all added a little something to the story and the setting. There’s also a big theme surrounding motherhood and that got me in the feels a few times. Wanting to do right by your children and making those hard but loving decisions to give them everything you can. It delivers a beautiful and impactful novel.

Now I’ll just be sitting here waiting for the next MZ release.

Overall audience notes:

  • Paranormal Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: 2-3 open door
  • Violence: mild

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Book Review: Simply the Best (Chicago Stars #10) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: February 13th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips returns with the next book in her Chicago Stars series where a successful sports agent and the sister of his biggest client engage in a take-no-prisoners battle of the sexes.

Take one hard-driving sports agent…

Throw in a failed chocolatier…

And her superstar football player brother…

Add a quirky pink and purple food truck…

Then, to really screw things up, mix in a very unfortunate murder.

Brett Rivers is the hottest sports agent in the business—fast and furious, swift and deadly. Failure? Not an option.

Rory Garrett is—let’s be honest—a disaster. She has a big heart, an empty bank account, a passion for making exquisite chocolate, and a huge inferiority complex from living in the shadow of Brett’s most important client, her football legend brother.

Brett and Rory should never have met, and they absolutely, positively should never have had to deal with the consequences of one stupid, drunken night…one disastrous lie…one career in jeopardy…one missing football player…and a very dead body.

It’s going to get messy…and dangerous…and heartbreaking…and sexy. To Rory, Brett represents skewed values and a devious mind. To Brett, Rory is forbidden fruit, off limits, do not disturb, and no entry—definitely no entry.

A woman who has succeeded at nothing and a man who’s succeeded at everything confront the challenge of their lives as they struggle with themselves and each other. When it comes to love—what price are any of us willing to pay to be simply the best?

A NICE SWITCH.

I have never read this author before so I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought this was a quirky contemporary that had some added murder mystery dynamics that made for a good and quick read.

I absolutely loved the banter between the two main characters. It made me snicker multiple times. As someone who doesn’t love the one night stand trope I liked how this was approached for the book. It’s clever and on the lighter side too.

I wasn’t quite sure why there was a third POV in here and it kind of took me out of the story and didn’t feel necessary. And I was hoping for more romance rather than mystery. This was at least a fresh vibe for me and that made it an overall delight.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: low-moderate
  • Romance: 2-3 fade to black
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder

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