Tag: Book blog

Book Review: But He’s My Grumpy Neighbor (But He’s a Carter Brother #1) by Annah Conwell

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 260 pages
Author: Annah Conwell
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 24th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

It’s not stalking if he’s your hot neighbor… right?

At least, that’s what I tell myself when Adrian Carter moves in next door.

His scowl should make me want to run in the other direction, but when I catch him smothering a smile around me, it makes me want to get to know him more.

And when Adrian starts to open up, I find myself falling in love with the cinnamon roll center hidden beneath his gruff exterior.

But between my emotional baggage and his aversion to relationships, it’s looking like we’ll never be more than neighborly.

But He’s My Grumpy Neighbor is a cozy grumpy/sunshine romcom for lovers of small-town romantic comedies. It has all the sizzling chemistry you love, without any explicit scenes. Check out the first book of the But He’s A Carter Brother Series, a series based around four strong, protective brothers finding love.

STOP IT RIGHT NOW.

This was absolutely one of my new favorite reads. OMG. It was the sweetest, gooeyest, tender and romantic book. I LOVED IT SO MUCH.

Thank goodness for some dual POV. I loved getting Adrian and Juliette’s perspectives and learning more about them. They were beautiful people on their own and putting them together was JUST THE BEST. I loved how long angst this was. There’s no third act, there’s no insane drama. It is COZY in all the best ways and will wrap you up like a warm hug. These two are sweet on each other from the beginning and the mutual pining is the best. I loved the grump x sunshine trope. The ONE BED (but keep it sweet) and the little dash of dating help. I am a melted puddle after devouring this.

I seriously can’t stop gushing about this book. It was the perfect sweet read. I am a big time fan girl now and I can’t wait for the next in the series!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of emotional/physical child abuse (briefly recounted), mentions of loss of mother, panic attacks

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Book Review: Threads That Bind (Threads That Bind #1) by Kika Hatzopoulou

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 352 pages
Author: Kika Hatzopoulou
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: May 30th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In a world where the children of the gods inherit their powers, a descendant of the Greek Fates must solve a series of impossible murders to save her sisters, her soulmate, and her city.

Descendants of the Fates are always born in threes: one to weave, one to draw, and one to cut the threads that connect people to the things they love and to life itself. The Ora sisters are no exception. Io, the youngest, uses her Fate-born abilities as a private investigator in the half-sunken city of Alante.

But her latest job leads her to a horrific discovery: somebody is abducting women, maiming their life-threads, and setting the resulting wraiths loose in the city to kill. To find the culprit, she must work alongside Edei Rhuna, the right hand of the infamous Mob Queen—and the boy with whom she shares a rare fate-thread linking them as soul mates before they’ve even met.

But the investigation turns personal when Io’s estranged oldest sister turns up on the arm of her best suspect. Amid unveiled secrets from her past and her growing feelings for Edei, Io must follow clues through the city’s darkest corners and unearth a conspiracy that involves some of the city’s most powerful players—before destruction comes to her own doorstep.

UNDERRATED.

I’m so glad this book was put on my radar because it was worth the read y’all. Absolutely loved the audiobook and can’t wait for the next book.

I loved the magic system and combination of meddling gods and powers. The thread idea was unique and I thought was well developed and explained throughout. I love how young adult this felt (in the best ways). One of those, this is why I love this genre, reads.

Io and Edei are a great match in chemistry and working together to solve the crime happening around them. There’s good betrayals and reveals and plenty of action to keep the pages turning. I liked the subtle romance, the sister relationships and other things throughout.

An easy book for me to recommend and say GO GET IT.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate-high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, loss of life, near death experiences, physical and magical altercations

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: August 2023

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Is it fall yet? We’ve made it to the end of formal summer and I really would love if the temperature would dip under 100 degrees.

Favorites of August:

  • What the River Knows
  • Check & Mate
  • The Jasad Heir
  • Bring Me Your Midnight
  • Realm Breaker
  • The Blonde Identity
  • Yumi and the NIghtmare Painter
  • Desire or Defense
  • How to Kiss a Movie Star
  • Belladonna
  • Babel
  • A Fate Inked in Blood
  • Just Don’t Fall
  • Foxglove
  • Garden of the Midnights
  • Flirtation or Faceoff
  • But He’s My Grumpy Neighbor
  • Assistant to the Villain

Least favorites:

  • An Empress of Air & Chaos
  • All’s Fair in Love and Christmas
  • The Invisible Hour
  • [ARC] What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez
  • [Gifted] Thief of Sorrows by Kristen M. Long
  • You, with a View by Jessica Joyce
  • [ARC] Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
  • An Empress of Air & Chaos (An Empress #1) by Noelle Rayne
  • The Jasad Heir (The Scorched Throne #1) by Sara Hashem
  • Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin
  • A City of Flames (A City of Flames #1) by Rina Vasquez
  • This Violent Reckoning (The Curse of the Blessed #2) by Renee Dugan
  • [ARC] All’s Fair in Love and Christmas by Sarah Monzon
  • Realm Breaker (Realm Breaker #1) by Victoria Aveyard
  • The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter
  • Play Your Part by Kathryn Kincaid
  • Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (Cosmere) by Brandon Sanderson
  • [Reread] Desire or Defense (D.C. Eagles #1) by Leah Brunner
  • The Marriage Effect (Washington Wolves #3) by Karla Sorensen
  • [ARC] To Spark a Match (The Matchmakers #2) by Jen Turano
  • [ARC] How to Kiss a Movie Star (Hawthorne Brothers #4) by Jenny Proctor
  • Omen of Ice (Omen of Ice #1) by Jus Accardo
  • Slow Dance in Purgatory (Purgatory #1) by Amy Harmon
  • A Duet with the Siren Duke (Married to Magic #4) by Elise Kova
  • Belladonna (Belladonna #1) by Adalyn Grace
  • Hands Down by Mariana Zapata
  • Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang
  • [ARC] A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated #1) by Danielle L. Jensen
  • Prom Night in Purgatory (Purgatory #2) by Amy Harmon
  • [ARC] Betting on You by Lynn Painter
  • One of Us Is Back (One Of Us Is Lying #3) by Karen M. McManus
  • [ARC] Just Don’t Fall (Sweater Weather #1) by Emma St. Clair
  • [Reread] A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab
  • Face the Night by Lani Forbes
  • Heavenly Bodies (Heavenly Bodies #1) by Imani Erriu
  • The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman
  • Foxglove (Belladonna #2) by Adalyn Grace
  • [ARC] Garden of the Midnights by Hannah Linder
  • Heirs of Falcon Point (Falcon Point #0) by Traci Hunter Abramson, Sian Ann Bessey, Paige Edwards and A.L. Sowards
  • [ARC] Flirtation or Faceoff (D.C. Eagles Hockey #2) by Leah Brunner
  • Karma is a Witch (Deadlights Cove #5) by Aimee Vance and B. Perkins
  • House of Roots and Ruin (Sisters of the Salt #2) by Erin A. Craig
  • But He’s My Grumpy Neighbor (But He’s a Carter Brother #1) by Annah Conwell
  • Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
  • [ARC] Unholy Terrors by Lyndall Clipstone

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Book Review: Queen Charlotte by Julie Quinn and Shonda Rhimes

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Julie Quinn and Shonda Rhimes
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: May 9th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn and television pioneer Shonda Rhimes comes a powerful and romantic novel of Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte and King George III’s great love story and how it sparked a societal shift, inspired by the original series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, created by Shondaland for Netflix.

“We are one crown. His weight is mine, and mine is his…”

In 1761, on a sunny day in September, a King and Queen met for the very first time. They were married within hours.

Born a German Princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was beautiful, headstrong, and fiercely intelligent… not precisely the attributes the British Court had been seeking in a spouse for the young King George III. But her fire and independence were exactly what she needed, because George had secrets… secrets with the potential to shake the very foundations of the monarchy.

Thrust into her new role as a royal, Charlotte must learn to navigate the intricate politics of the court… all the while guarding her heart, because she is falling in love with the King, even as he pushes her away. Above all she must learn to rule, and to understand that she has been given the power to remake society. She must fight—for herself, for her husband, and for all her new subjects who look to her for guidance and grace. For she will never be just Charlotte again. She must instead fulfill her destiny… as Queen.

Thank you to Bibliolifestyle and Avon for the gifted copy!

I LIKED IT.

I didn’t know how I would feel about this one and was pleasantly surprised at how much I ended up enjoying it. THOUGH NOTE: I wouldn’t watch the show before reading this if you have plans to read the book at all. You can tell that it reads a bit like a movie script and (after only watching episode 1) it was an exact cross over in the book. I don’t think I would have been able to make it through the book if I had already watched the show.

ANYWAYS. It’s a really good, heart breaking romance. I adore Charlotte and George. I love the way they love each other. The passionate enemies to bonded tighter together than they realized they would be. There’s some good romance, I love the friendship with Agatha and it was an enjoyable read.

There’s small scenes here or there that I felt kind of forced in the book (maybe this isn’t an issue in the show, I still need to finish watching it). Otherwise, I loved the audiobook, and happy to have it on my shelves!

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: 2-3 open; moderate explicit
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: descriptive childbirth, mental experimentation (reads akin to torture)

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