Tag: audiobook

Book Review: Something Like Fate by Amy Lea

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: NA Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Amy Lea
Publisher: Skyscape
Release Date: March 1st, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

During a summer in Italy, two best friends discover whether true love is up to destiny or free will in this winning romantic comedy by the international bestselling author of Woke Up Like This.

For generations, the fortune-telling women in Lo Zhao-Jensen’s family have foreseen The One—the great loves of their lives—before ever meeting them. Except for Lo, who has zero psychic abilities. Just memories of old rom-coms and a lot of poor judgment when it comes to love.

Until now.

When Lo finally has the vision she’s been waiting for, her delighted aunties are convinced she’ll meet The One on her backpacking trip in Italy. Vero amore, here she comes.

Along for the summer is Lo’s best friend and confidant, Teller Owens, her opposite in every way. Upon arrival in Venice, Lo is saved from a runaway trolley by Caleb, a fellow backpacker. It’s a meet-cute so swoony, it has to be fate. But with each destination, Lo’s complicated feelings for Teller are becoming harder to ignore. From the cobblestone streets of Rome to the rocky cliffs of Amalfi, Lo begins to wonder if fate has other plans.

THIS DIDN’T WORK FOR ME.

I love a lot of Amy Lea’s book and unfortunately this one is officially lowest on that ranking. I loved the traveling plot and setting, I did like Lo an Teller, I just struggled with the handling of many situations.

This is where the magical realism didn’t work for me, being so beholden to an idea that it ruins what you have in front of you dragging out the story longer than necessary. The miscommunication, as tends to be the highlight of friends to lovers romances, was frustrating too.

There’s some charming moments and I did love a few of the romantic ones too. Teller is a sweetheart and I was grateful when Lo finally decided to stop being oblivious and work things out with him.

It does read very much like a movie and honestly I think would have been better in that format.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 2ish vague open door
  • Content Warnings: loss of a parent (recounted)

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Book Review: Magnolia Parks (Magnolia Parks Universe #1) by Jessa Hastings

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: A very toxic romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Jessa Hastings
Publisher: Dutton Books
Release Date: August 8th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

“How many loves do you get in a lifetime?”

She is a beautiful, affluent, self-involved, and mildly neurotic London socialite. He is Britain’s most photographed bad boy who broke her heart.

Magnolia Parks and BJ Ballentine are meant to be, and everyone knows it.

She dates other people to keep him at bay; he sleeps with other girls to get back at her for it. But at the end of every sad endeavor to get over one another, it’s still each other they crawl back to.

But now their dysfunction is catching up with them, pulling at their seams and fraying the world they’ve built; a world where neither has ever let the other go completely.

As the cracks start to show and secrets begin to surface, Magnolia and BJ are finally forced to face the formidable question they’ve been avoiding all their How many loves do you really get in a lifetime?

WELL, I DID IT.

I swore I would never read this book but those were my famous last words because I did read it…and I do want to continue the series. WHO AM I. There’s something hard to explain about how living in someone else’s toxic world makes for a good read for me, but I’ll take it?? It’s wild, there’s cheating in abundance and y’all better be telling the truth about these character arcs because I am a SKEPTIC. A skeptic who needs answers.

I didn’t love the writing style. I don’t know how to put my finger on it though. The style just didn’t click all the way. I did love that it was dual POV and getting both Magnolia and BJ’s sides as the story went along. Good heavens that reveal at the end was the WORST (but in the best way because I was shocked??).

My thoughts are all over the place. There’s enough here for me to put a hold on the next audiobook though and see what Daisy’s story is all about.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: a lot of discussion around sex, a few fade to black
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: physical altercations, allllllll the infidelity, drug overdose, drug use, alcohol consumption

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Book Review: Dawn of Vengeance (The Droseran Saga #2) by Ronie Kendig

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Sci-Fi Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Ronie Kendig
Publisher: Enclave Publishing
Release Date: December 8th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A haunting prophecy upended his identity. Now it demands his life.

Once a formidable bounty hunter, Marco Dusan is plagued by insecurity as he tours the realm he now rules. This quiet, backwater planet is not as untouched as he’d once thought. Evidence of collusion between Droseran factions and the powerful Symmachians with their forbidden technology litters his encounters. Worse, all signs indicate Xisya, the alien who tortured him, is still snatching Kynigos Brethren-but to what end?

Corporal Eija Zacdari works hard to win a coveted place on the Symmachian hyperjump program, but instinct tells her their intel is flawed. Despite nearly failing the tests, she is assigned to the team-and lands in the middle of a bewildering conspiracy.

Haunted by a prophecy that promises pain and war, Marco forges alliances to protect the primitive world against Symmachia’s devastating influence. But one truth becomes painfully clear: the biggest threat to their world may be much, much closer to home.

Thank you to the author for the gifted audiobook.

A BIT LONG.

I haven’t read sci-fi in awhile and I enjoyed getting the chance to get back into this series. It’s complex and full of raw emotion and I love all of the action and political intrigue. The two romances were intricate and I thought had a good overall progression. The intensity of everything happening was really amped up as the book went along.

But a 20 hour audiobook? I do think this was too long. I caught my mind drifting in and out sometimes. A few plot points went around and around or could have been sped up more.

I do have plans to continue the series though. These characters are easy to enjoy and you get caught up in wondering what the next thing happening is going to be.

Also the audiobook narrator is fantastic!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Sci-Fi Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Under Your Spell by Laura Wood

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Laura Wood
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: June 25th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The daughter of an aging rock star finds herself working for the hottest musician on the planet and is shocked when sparks start to fly—especially since she swore she’d never, ever date a celebrity—in this unputdownable romance that is perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Emily Henry.

She wants three things. He isn’t one of them…

Dumped by her cheating ex, fired from her dream job, and about to lose her Clementine Monroe is not having a good day. So when her sisters get her drunk and suggest reviving a childhood ritual called the Breakup Spell, she doesn’t see the harm in it.

But now Clemmie has accidentally ruined a funeral, had her first one-night stand, and she’s stuck with a new job she definitely doesn’t want—spending six weeks alone with the gorgeous and very-off-limits rock star, Theo Eliott.

He’s the most famous man on the planet. Her life’s a disaster. As their summer together turns into its own kind of magic, is Clemmie cursed to repeat the mistakes of her past—or will her future see all her wishes come true?

I LIKED IT!

This has been all around on my feed and I finally bit the bullet on trying it out. And you know what? It was good. I loved the humor and banter the most. It was me laughing and loving the dynamic between Clementine and Theo. Theo turned into my favorite kind of golden retriever.

It did take me a little bit to get into this one. Not my favorite kind of opening but I loved the way it all came together. I loved the audiobook too. The relationship between the sisters was everything. I adore these kind of bonds. I would absolutely read another book by this author.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3ish open door

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