Book Review: In the Wake of the Wicked by V.B. Lacey

January 19, 2025December 28, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 644 pages
Author: V.B. Lacey
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 14th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Wherever she goes, darkness follows.

An orphan with a tragic past and a penchant for wicked deeds, Rose Wolff has never been accepted by her people. She’s learned to live in the darkness, content with her Alchemy magic and her quiet apothecary.

When a terrible curse sweeping the land forces her to enter the Decemvirate, a magical tournament among the strongest of the empire, Rose is pulled from the shadows and thrown into a world of power games, deadly trials, and entanglements with a handsome, mysterious rebel.

With divisions in the empire worsening, there may be more at stake than becoming the champion. Secrets about her magic and encounters with the all-powerful emperor make Rose question everything, leading her down a path she may never come back from.

All magic has a price, and Rose must choose: truth, love, or power?

In the Wake of the Wicked is the first book in a series of interconnected fantasy standalones. This story follows a young woman who finds herself caught up in the glory of magic and unexpected love during a time of hardship and divisions among her empire. Perfect for lovers of Wicked, The Serpent and the Wings of Night, and The Hunger Games, this book is full of deadly trials, morally grey characters, mythical creatures and shifters, unique magic, witty banter, and no spice romance that will have you swooning.

NEW AUTHOR FAV.

I have been anxiously waiting to get some time to dedicate to this behemoth and I loved it. It is a nice long slow burn that pays off on all the fronts. I also super duper love that it’s a no spice romance. While I do read a low level of spice, I feel like the fantasy romance market is way too heavy on how much spice can be thrown in and this is a nice breath of a swoony read (with fantastic kissing scenes, don’t you worry) without an open door.

ANYWAYS. I loved these characters. And I loved that it was dual POV. Seeing both Leo and Rose’s POV was perfect. i loved Rose’s character arc the most. Seeing her slowly let people in, realize she’s worth staying for and finding some people that could be and want to be in her circle was incredible. There were many resonating moments throughout where my heart squeezed tight.

I enjoyed the action and competition plot line. It was a great balance of not being ALL competition while still giving those big action scenes their due. It’s dark and gritty and keeps you on edge.

And y’all know how standalone fantasies are so hard for me to love because they always need to be longer???? WELL HERE YA GO. 650 pages of goodness. I actually felt like I got to know all of the characters, understand the world building and magic system and really let the relationships develop.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: low
Romance: kisses
Violence: moderate – high
Content Warnings: loss of life, blood/gore depiction

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Book Review: Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens

January 18, 2025December 26, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Sophie Cousens
Publisher: GP Putnam’s Sons
Release Date: November 19th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A hilarious love story about a disillusioned divorcée who agrees to let her children play matchmaker.

Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat, and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children.

From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman, and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?

I LOVED THIS.

This was my first book by this author, and I see myself reading more of them in the future. This was a GEM. I found it had this beautiful balance of wit and humor and strength, all mixed in with a heated romance I was obsessed with. I’m not going to say much about who becomes the romantic lead, but I will say again, OBSESSED. The dynamic between them was perfect.

Also this is my favorite kind of spice level. Where things get heated and then fade out (aka fade to black if that wasn’t obvious). It fit well into the story line and made that connection feel all the deeper. I loved understanding the depth of character and background and all of these small moments where you see the pieces start to click together.

It was a true delight. I loved the audiobook and I will keep my eye out for all new releases form Sophie Cousens.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: mild
Romance: fade to black
Content Warnings: divorce

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Book Review: Long Live (The Elementals of Iona #1) by V.B. Lacey

January 17, 2025December 17, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 475 pages
Author: V.B. Lacey
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Isla Belthare lives an ordinary life in her small village of Lockhurt. Since losing both her mother and the man she loved two years ago, all she wants is stability and peace. But her world is forever changed when her family is attacked on a journey away from home and she must travel to the Aataran mountain range to find them.

Across the realm, four ancient beings who control the elements of nature are awakening.

After a civil war that tore the humans apart, the elementals entered a thousand year slumber. Now, they are being summoned to prevent a dark force that is greedy for power and threatening to overturn the balance of nature.

When Isla’s path crosses with one of these elementals, she finds her fate is more entangled with theirs than she had ever imagined. As she risks it all to follow the elementals on their journey to defeat the unknown foe, she discovers that not everything may be as it seems. Isla is torn between protecting her loved ones or following her heart down a dangerous path of power and magic, of truth and lies.

What will they sacrifice to stop the coming storm?

THOUGHTS.

I fear this may have been over hyped to me and I lost a little steam when I was reading it. The second half was really great though and I feel very much inclined to read the conclusion (it’s a duology) to see where everyone ends up.

The insta-love is what frustrated me most. Things went from 0-100 real fast and I don’t think there was enough tension, especially with it being what was supposedly enemies to lovers.

I did like Isla a lot. She was fiercely loyal, willing to learn and train and wanted to help those around her. I found her to be an easy FMC to root for. Even better was the fact it was multiple POV. One of my favorite things. I liked how this gave insight to the world building and the past. The combination of everyone’s motives helped the book along immensely.

The writing was easy to read and I thought flowed well too. I did like the general concept of the story and the plot. There was action and some good twists and enough to keep me invested throughout.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: low
Romance: kisses
Violence: moderate
Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, small battle scenes

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ALC Book Review: The Favorites by Layne Fargo

January 16, 2025January 3, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Genre: Sports Romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Layne Fargo
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: January 14th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.

An epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating about a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice

She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and rollercoaster relationship. Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the “real story” through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary. But she can’t stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy either. So, after a decade of silence, she’s telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.

Inspired by the powerful love and hate that fuel Emily Bronte’s classic, Wuthering Heights, The Favorites is an exhilarating dance between passion, ambition, and what it truly means to win.

Thank you LibroFM (LibroFM Parnter) for the gifted audiobook.

DRAMA BE DRAMAING.

I FULLLLLLLY admit that I usually hate books like this. I am not a drama drama drama kind of gal when it comes to my contemporary reads, but when I tell y’all this book had me in a CHOKEHOLD, you would not believe. It took every turn you can imagine and I was gasping over and over again every time the next hit came. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. Which obviously means I gave it five stars because the chaos was beautifully crafted and these unlikable characters had my full attention.

I loooooved that this was a full cast with excerpts from a documentary style (so lots of narrators and it read really awesome over audio). I’m curious to see how it looks in printed format. I think that’s what made it all the more exciting and intense too. The narration was just expertly done and I could not stop listening.

Will people hate this book? Absolutely. But I think it’s going to be a popular one too. There’s something about the insane drive to succeed and be the top contender that makes you put away any moral compass that becomes fascinating to watch. Read it and then come find me to talk about it.

Overall audience notes: