Tag: audiobook

Book Review: All Hail Chaos (Time of Iron #2) by Sarah Rees Brennan

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance?
Length: 558 pages
Author: Sarah Reese Brennan
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

THE EMPEROR IS HERE. AND SHE MADE HIM WORSE.

Rae is a fantasy reader who’s been transported to her favourite fictional world of swords and sorcery, castles and monsters. Playing the villainess, she thought she could change the narrative, but this version of the plot is far much more deadly than the one she knew.

Her friends are on the run: the Cobra shelters in an eerie manor haunted by dark secrets, while Emer and Lia stoke a revolution in the gutters. Undead armies roam the kingdom, raiders camp at the city gates, and the irresistible emperor – Rae’s favourite character ever, now possibly the greatest monster in the land – wants her to be his evil queen.

What’s a villainess to do? It’s time for wicked bargains and fake engagements, in a fantasy where the most dangerous thing you can do is believe in someone.

All Hail Chaos is Sarah Rees Brennan’s wicked, unmissable sequel to the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling Long Live Evil (‘delicious, subversive’ Leigh Bardugo).

Thank you Orbit Books for the gifted copy.

I DON’T KNOW.

I wasn’t super keen on picking this one up but I got a copy so I wanted to try?? And I, once again, have mixed thoughts. I do not think this is a bad book or poorly written. Just maybe not the story for me. I apparently have a hard time with book within a book plots. Where the main character more or less already knows what’s going to happen, then I already know what’s coming and I like more of a mystery.

There is supposedly a romance in here? For three different POV’s, there’s three sub plot romantic lines and I never felt fully invested in any of them. I think the plot overwhelms the deeper connections between the characters. I did like the audiobook narrator but there desperately needed to be different narrators for each POV. I was getting lost because the story telling in general all ran together.

Maybe I’ll read the third? I am completely undecided on that fact but you never know.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy romance?
  • Language: mild – moderate
  • Romance: 2-3ish quick & vague open door
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy
Length: 560 pages
Author: R.F. Kuang
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: August 26th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two graduate students must set aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul, perhaps at the cost of their own.

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.

NEW FAV.

I am quite confident this is my new favorite book from R.F. Kuang. The longer I listened the more entranced I became and I was enthralled by the whole story. And y’all know my romance loving heart loved that this had a HEA soft romance woven in!! I genuinely think it added to the story and showed off these characters in a new light. I loved that contrast to them diving into the depths of hell.

I found the story very intriguing. I loved the concept of traveling through Hell and seeing how that world was set-up. The different characters and situations Alice and Peter kept running into kept me glued to my headphones (loved the audiobook too).

The themes tackled in here were written incredibly well. It makes you ponder many different topics and I found multiple sentiments hit home. The only thing I wasn’t too sure on was why it was worth following Grimes. They leads did learn a lot along the way but the initial premise with Grimes didn’t feel as solid as it should.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical fiction fantasy
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: kisses; light innuendo
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: animal cruelty, misogyny, su!cidal thoughts, chronic illness (Crohn’s Disease), sexual harassment, injury and near death experiences, classism, gaslighting

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Book Review: Entreat Me by Grace Draven

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Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 461 pages
Author: Grace Draven
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: December 16th, 2013
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Afflicted by a centuries-old curse, a warlord slowly surrenders his humanity and descends toward madness. Ballard of Ketach Tor holds no hope of escaping his fate until his son returns home one day, accompanied by a woman of incomparable beauty. His family believes her arrival may herald Ballard’s salvation.

…until they confront her elder sister.

Determined to rescue her sibling from ruin, Louvaen Duenda pursues her to a decrepit castle and discovers a household imprisoned in time. Dark magic, threatening sorcerers, and a malevolent climbing rose with a thirst for blood won’t deter her, but a proud man disfigured by an undying hatred might. Louvaen must decide if loving him will ultimately save him or destroy him.

A tale of vengeance and devotion.

ONE OF THE BETTER.

I don’t think I’ve read many Beauty and the Beast retellings lately (honestly, they haven’t charmed as of late), but this was recommend by a few friends and it delivered!!

This was easily one of the best retellings I’ve read for B&TB. I loved the expansion of the main idea, It was dark and gothic and the atmosphere was amazing. I loved the addition of characters and how the structure of the plot was crafted. It was easy to listen to and see how all the things came together.

I will say the spice took me out of the story a bit. I could skip an entire 30 minute chapter and not miss anything (so it is skippable), just bugged me.

It is a standalone and wraps up all of the things. I enjoyed the characters arcs and many things in between. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read a Grace Draven book and I’m grateful it did not disappoint.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance Retelling
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 4+ long open door
  • Violence: high

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Book Review: If Not for My Baby by Kate Golden

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Kate Golden
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: August 5th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

It’s the duet of a lifetime when a rock star and his backup singer find a new kind of harmony off stage in this sensational contemporary romance.

Clementine Clark isn’t looking for love. Growing up with a single mom who weeps over a new guy each week tends to have that effect on a girl. But Clementine doesn’t mind being the rational one—she’s even buried her musical dreams so deeply within herself that she hardly notices the hole it’s left in her life.

That is until her best friend calls her with a life-changing opportunity: to join Irish megastar Halloran on his first US tour as a backing vocalist. Clementine wants to reject the offer, but the pay is enough to change her and her mom’s life. Overnight, Clementine goes from serving enchiladas at the Happy Tortilla to belting high notes before a cheering crowd.

But the whiplash of trading small-town Texas for sold-out stadiums is nothing compared to the rush of performing with the enigmatic Thomas Patrick Halloran. Poet, introvert, and lyrical genius, Halloran quickly gets under Clementine’s skin. The two couldn’t see the world more differently. And yet, over the course of the next eight weeks on tour, the romantic rockstar might just strike an unforgettable chord in Clementine. But will it be enough for an encore?

WELL LOOKIE HERE.

I liked this one y’all!!! I can bet you that the duet narration worked wonders on me and I highly recommend the audiobook path for this one. It is SUPREME.

And reading another celebrity romance?? WHO AM I. They are hitting so well lately and I think I’ve read five+ in the last month alone. I loved all of the touring and friendships and singing and passion. Thomas and Clementine had such a lovely dynamic and I loved seeing them together. I do think the spice jumped in a bit too early but it wasn’t the end of the world.

Because what really made me mad was the third act (and the FMC honestly frustrated me throughout). Past that nonsense is a strong romance that will have you feeling all the things.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 3+ open door
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: loss of a loved one (recounted), a mother with fibromyalgia, sexual harassment, mentions of drug/alcohol addiction

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