Tag: Book blog

ARC Book Review: A Dance of Lies (A Dance of Lies #1) by Brittney Arena

GoodeyReads1 Comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Brittney Arena
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: June 10th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A debut fantasy romance filled with hope after heartbreak, secrets, and betrayal, as a dancer-turned-spy must decide how far she will go to secure her freedom

My protector is gone, revealed to be a monster. But I remind myself that I am not a damsel. I’m no princess bound within a tower.

I am a shadow.

Vasalie Moran was once a dancer in King Illian’s court, until he framed her for murder. Barely surviving her two years in the dungeons, she’s suddenly called to face her king. He offers her a deal: become his spy at the six-week royal Gathering and he’ll grant her freedom.

As Illian’s orders grow bloody and dangerous, forcing her to harm and betray those around her, Vasalie discovers that the monster she serves may be aligned with a bigger monster—one far closer to home. With her world threatened, Vasalie enlists the help of Illian’s brother and greatest adversary, the infamous King of the East.

As the rivalry between brothers escalates, with Vasalie caught in the middle, the horrifying truth of her past comes to light. If she wants to survive, she must decide who to trust, who to fight for, and how much of her soul she’s willing to damn in the process.

Thank you to the author and Del Rey for the gifted ARC.

THIS WAS EVERYTHING.

I am someone who prefers to read my ARCs in order but this book was CALLING TO ME. And it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. Oh my goodness this will absolutely be one of my favorite fantasy romances of 2025.

Something I loved the most was that the focus was not on adding spice for the sake of it (in fact this book does not have any spice). The emotions were the focus and the slow burn journey as Vasalie is put into a perilous situation that could cost her everything, or might save the nation too.

I loved Vasalie. As someone who struggles with chronic pain there was an abundance of sentiments throughout (I highlighted the heck out of this book) that I resonated with and felt deep in my soul. I admired her strength and acknowledgement of her short comings, but also how far she has risen and her tenacity to honor her body and do her best.

The ROMANCE. I don’t want to say much on this front because I think it will truly be best experienced by reading the book without a lot of context. I loved everything about it and how the movement of the romantic aspects coincided beautifully with the political intrigue. All of the dance content had me wishing I could see these dances live because they were wonderfully written and crafted.

It’s a slow journey that is worth the build. So many moments stood out to me and I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. I anxiously await getting my hands on the sequel.

An incredible debut you must take a chance on.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: heated make-outs
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings: emotional abuse, physical abuse, alcoholism, PTSD, panic attacks, trauma, violence against children, graphic death, chronic illness, disability and sexism (these were taken from the front of my copy)

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: Enemies Don’t (Fall in Love #2) by Leah Dobrinska

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 293 pages
Author: Leah Dobrinska
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 9th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A heartfelt romantic comedy, loosely inspired by The Proposal.

Lost and guarded after getting out of a toxic relationship, Noli Kasper follows her older sisters to idyllic Cashmere Cove to get her life back on track. But when she’s pulled over on the way into town by a police officer who turns out to be her insufferable new boss, her dreams of an uncomplicated fresh start feel dead on arrival.

Collin Rattler has spent his whole life trying to live up to his cop dad’s expectations and reputation. Now, Collin has his sights set on earning the title of county sheriff—something even his father never accomplished. When early polls show Collin’s playboy habits are hurting his chances, his team makes a settle down with a nice, respectable woman for the year leading up to the election to prove he can commit. The problem? Collin doesn’t do relationships.

Yet when he lets slip his team’s preposterous plan to Noli, a woman he finds as self-righteous and enigmatic as she is beautiful, he’s not sure what’s more shocking—that she offers to help him or that he finds himself falling for her in the process.

Noli has her own reasons for saying yes to Collin’s fake-dating proposal. And when her past won’t leave her alone, she finds herself relying on Collin, a man she thought she despised, to see her through. But it’s all just a temporary, mutually beneficial arrangement, right?

Because enemies don’t fall in love…do they?

(Enemies Don’t is the second book in the Fall In Love series, which follows three sisters as they find love after moving across the country to the small town of Cashmere Cove, Wisconsin. This is a closed door romcom with plenty of sizzling chemistry and romantic tension, but no spice. Enemies Don’t is a standalone book, but it’s best enjoyed after reading Friends Don’t.)

SWOONY.

I liked this one a lot. After getting off on the wrong foot seeing Noli and Collin come together in a fake dating scheme brought out some fantastic banter and the forced proximity moments I crave.

I struggled with the time spread throughout the book. This book covers a whole year and chapters would jump to the next month or two with only a small nod towards what happened prior. I wish the time had been condensed a little more. There was still plenty of showing vs. telling, but I kept feeling like I was missing something.

Collin has lots of swoony moments though and I loved watching him fall in love. It’s tender and he didn’t even realize how much he cared. I loved when he and Noli had good communication lines and took the time to get to know eachother.

I also didn’t understand why Noli kept her secret for so long. If she had brought it up soon after realizing she could trust Collin I feel like it could have played off better. There’s a little dash of suspense to bring things all together and wrap things up well.

Looking forward to the next book!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content Warnings: An ex who is stalking and harassing Noli

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: A Curse Carved in Bone (Saga of the Unfated #2) by Danielle L. Jensen

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: May 13th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A shield maiden fights to break the shackles of prophecy—and to overcome the betrayal of the man who broke her heart—in this searing conclusion to the Norse-inspired fantasy romance duology that began with the bestselling A Fate Inked in Blood.

The secret of her divine heritage revealed, Freya finds herself on a path that will see thousands of lives lost to the magic in her blood. Desperate to avoid this dark fate, she risks an alliance with Skaland’s greatest enemy to seek answers from the seer who foretold her future—the same seer who sent Bjorn to kill her.

While Freya still seethes with rage over Bjorn’s betrayal, the blood oaths that bind her demand that she keep him close as she hunts for a way to avert the looming war. Her magic draws her to the front lines of an old enmity, embroiling her with Nordeland’s Unfated—children of the gods who serve the king she was raised to fear. The same king who, unlike Bjorn, is now willing to fight at her back. For despite the desire that burns hot between Bjorn and Freya, his growing distrust of her chosen path threatens to drag them further apart.

As war approaches, gods and mortals must choose their weapons. Yet the fiercest battle will be the one Freya wages within herself. With the magic of two goddesses burning in her veins, she must weave the threads of destiny to decide her own fate: Will she be the shield that protects her people or the curse that destroys them?

Thank you PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook.

DLJ NEVER DISAPPOINTS.

I just love being back in the world’s DLJ creates. I love her writing and story telling and have been chomping at the bit to get my hands on this book. No notes, I am in love with Freya and Bjorn.

I had some spice issues in book one and was [pleasantly] surprised that this book only had one true long open door scene? Not mad. I felt like the plot was really focused on the action and dynamics happening between Freya and the goddesses, warring clans and everything in-between. The last battle scene was incredibly well written and was intense waiting for those final moments.

I loved the relationship between Bjorn and Freya. It feels so fated and romantic and you can see the care flowing between them even when the [rightful] anger is set to boil. It’s a love that doesn’t give up and I loved any moment they got together.

Also the audiobook is fantastic (dual POV with two narrators). Highly recommend.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance:
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 2 open door
  • Violence: high

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: Rewind it Back (Windy City #5) by Liz Tomforde

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 491 pages
Author: Liz Tomforde
Publisher: Entangled/Self Published
Release Date: May 20th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

HALLIE

When I was eleven, my family moved next door to his.
When I was thirteen, he was my first crush.
When I was sixteen, we fell for each other.

And when I was nineteen, we broke each other’s hearts.

Six years later, I’ve landed an internship with a big-name interior designer in a new city. Unfortunately, that city just so happens to be the one he plays hockey for.

I thought Chicago was big enough to avoid him, until I get the surprise of a lifetime and unknowingly move in right next door. Even worse? The renovation project I’m assigned to in hopes of turning that internship into my full-time dream job…

It’s his house.

But how am I supposed to update his bachelor pad into a family home when we can’t even stand to be in the same room?

I may have loved Rio DeLuca once, but I’m not that same girl anymore.

RIO

I never thought I’d be the only single one left in my friend group. But after years of trying to find love, I’ve concluded it may not exist for me anymore.

That is, until I accidentally hire Hallie Hart to renovate my house and our jaded history has me rewinding memories I’ve kept secret for years.

You see, there’s something that my friends don’t know.

That connection I’ve been looking for since I moved to Chicago, that one person some search their entire lives to find . . . I had already found her when I was twelve years old.

And now the only girl I’ve ever loved is moving into the house next door.

Again.

Rewind It Back is the fifth and FINAL book in the sensational Windy City series which has gripped over a million readers across the world. But don’t worry if you’re new round here, you’ll still love it as a standalone!

MY LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDS.

This book was everything I could have hoped for AND MORE. I love that we got Rio’s book and that he got one of the most romantic second chance stories ever. And childhood friends to lovers? ELITE.

One of my favorite subtle things was about Rio’s character. There were some nuanced aspects to him that I was obsessed with and would love to see in more romances too. He’s one of the most down bad men I’ve ever read and I am here for it all.

And another moment I loved with my whole being was the COMMUNICATION. Hallie hit it out of the park and I could not be more in love with her character. There were some key scenes that had me cheering. This is how you write romance. Swoony, relatable, and with actual adult conversation.

The banter and heat was amazing. I loved the soft slow burn between Hallie and Rio. They are the definition of soul mates and the flashback chapters only added to that charm. I’m not usually a fan of flashbacks so I loved how these played a part. There were important and nuanced scenes that only added to my love for these two.

Absolutely in my feels over seeing all ten of these characters together one last time. The family scenes were everything and I will miss everyone so dang much.

BRB gotta go reread and highlight my book [again].

Overall audience notes:

  • Hockey Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3-4 open door
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: infidelity (side characters), a parent with cancer (does not die)

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph