Tag: Book blog

Book Review: Divine (House of Oak #2) by Nichole Van

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Time Travel Romance
Length: 346 pages
Author: Nichole Van
Publisher: Fiorenza Publishing
Release Date: November 24th, 2014
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Time is a vast cosmic sea, where each life exists as rippling circles on its surface, past and future being eternally present. And occasionally, one expanding ring tangles with that of another, linking two lives together even though separated by centuries…

Georgiana Knight–born in the nineteenth century, but now living in 2013–has certain standards when it comes to mysteries: they must involve blood curdling threats, late-night rendezvous and the terror of Imminent Danger. So far, her current mystery has been a terrible disappointment. No ghosts, no dastardly villains, not even an actual murder weapon. Just a suspicious symbol, a drawing of a bloody dagger, and an old love letter. Though the centuries-old love letter is written in her own handwriting, so that’s something, right? And there is a time portal in her cellar. Should she risk giving up hot showers and return to the past to discover the mysterious stranger who inspired (will inspire?) her passionate letter?

In 1813, Sebastian Carew has his own mystery to solve. As a teenager, he fell madly in love with his childhood friend, Georgiana. Ten years later, he returns from fighting abroad as an eligible man of fortune who must marry. And soon. He is determined to fend off fortune-hunting women, find Georgiana and win her affections. However, she has utterly vanished. Can he divine the truth of her disappearance and convince her to marry him before time runs out?

GREAT AUDIO.

I have suddenly made it a quest of mine to read Nichole Van’s backlist so here we are! I liked this one quite a bit and thought the audio production was great.

The time travel worked well for me (and I’m usually meh about it) and I loved that Sebastian fell first and that man fell hard.

Georgiana, the FMC, bugged me a bit though. She was incredibly stubborn about Sebastian. The ignorance was astounding and her odd thrill of wanting things to be “dangerous” wasn’t working well for me either. When Georgiana finally allowed things to click I enjoyed her more and I got to see the great chemistry between her and Sebastian in full.

It was a good book, definitely plan to continue the series!

Overall audience notes:

  • Time Travel Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low

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ARC Book Review: Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Tarah DeWitt
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: May 20th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An emotional, spicy, second-chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Tarah DeWitt.

This time, they’ll get it right.

Wren and Ellis Byrd fell in love as kids, had their son Sam when they were only teenagers, and built a life together in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon. They were made for one another…until they fell apart.

Now divorced and in their 30s, Wren runs the bakery in town, while Ellis works as a firefighter. They live separate lives, though they are hardly off each other’s minds.

When Sam gets accepted into college and the pair help him move in together, Ellis convinces Wren to take an extended road trip back to Spunes with him to see if they can give their relationship one last chance. Amid the gorgeous scenery of the California coastline, dreamy destinations, and a great deal of long-yearned-for proximity, Wren starts to think it just might be possible. But the two still have to contend with their tumultuous past in order to move forward. And when spoken words fail, sometimes the written word must bridge the gap.
Will they make the most of what’s left of forever? Or will they let each other go for good?

Brimming with big feelings and packed with steam, Left of Forever is bestseller Tarah DeWitt at the top of her game.

Thank you You Had Me At HEA for the gifted copy.

THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT.

Lately I have felt the contemporaries I have picked up that are supposed to be ROMANCES aren’t actually all that romantic, and then I picked up Left of Forever and lost my absolute mind over how incredible this book is. It soothed something in my soul. It made me want to glue myself to my husband and it made me weep (if you’ve read that last paragraph YOU KNOWWWWW).

I loved how hard Ellis and Wren fought for each other. The circumstances surrounding their divorce made sense and wasn’t a mishap of anything that made me want to throw my book. Life really hits hard sometimes and things break apart. BUT THEY ALSO CAN BE HEALED TOO. This romance was everything. I loved how raw and open these characters became as they had to acknowledge the hurt and work towards better communication and that forever you could see they both desperately wanted.

I can’t tell you how many times I highlighted and tabbed my copy. There were many poignant moments, there was laughter too, and even those scenes where you could feel every word deeply. Hands down going to be one of the best romances I read in 2025.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 5+ open door
  • Content warnings: ectopic pregnancy (off page), conversations around infertility

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Book Review: The Shadow Bride (The Scarlet Veil #2) by Shelby Mahurin

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 624 pages
Author: Shelby Mahurin
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: March 25th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In the thrilling conclusion of the duology set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Serpent & Dove series by Shelby Mahurin, a vampire and the woman who tried to kill him prove that true love can conquer anything, even Death. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Mass.

Célie’s life is over. She took her final breath trying to save the people she loves—including the powerful and enigmatic vampire king, Michal, who refused to let her go. When Célie wakes, she cannot walk in the sun; she can hear her friends’ heartbeats and she craves their blood. Michal has cursed her to the eternal existence of a vampire.

But Célie isn’t the only dead roaming the earth. Her sister, Filippa, has returned as a shadow of her former self, and other revenants are rising from their graves intent on revenge. The fragile balance between life and death has broken, awakening an even darker force—and he is coming for Célie, ready to claim her as his Bride. With the fate of their world at stake, Célie and Michal must set aside their searing attraction to mend the veil and right the balance, once and for all.

WELL I LOVED THIS.

This one found me at the right time because I just had a good time with this. 600 pages who? It did not matter because I was glued to my headphones devouring this story.

I loved Celie’s journey. With a substantial character arc woven throughout, you definitely got a feel for everything she went through. I loved that she maintained a soft, feminine nature while also showing how strong and filled with perseverance you can be too. It’s a beautiful balance.

And I was obsessed with the romance (it is very open door so I would not call this a YA book). I loved the heat and swoon and all of the between Michal and Celie.

I felt satisfied with how everything wrapped up with the ending. The characters had the conclusions I needed and getting a little epilogue was exactly what I was hoping for.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: 2-3 open door
  • Violence: high

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ARC Book Review: As You Ice It (Appies #7) by Emma St. Clair

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Sports Romance
Length: 334 pages
Author: Emma St. Clair
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: May 4th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

f at first you don’t succeed, DO NOT try, try again. At least not when it comes to dating a hockey player.

When Naomi met Camden Cole on Oakley Island, she assumed he would be gone in a week or two like any other tourist passing through.

Perfect for a fun summer relationship. A temporary one.

As a single mom to ten-year-old Liam, she’s not holding out hope for husband material and is way too skittish about commitment to consider more.

So when both Naomi and Liam start getting too attached, she cuts Camden loose. Better to end things before either of their hearts could get broken.

But the joke’s on her—they broke anyway.

As an added punchline (and gut punch), her job relocates her to the town of Harvest Hollow—where Camden plays for the Appies.

It’s FINE, Naomi tells herself. He’s a professional hockey player with a busy career. Their paths will never cross.

And they probably wouldn’t have—if not for Liam’s newfound hockey obsession.

Now, Naomi is right back where she was last summer—with the same feelings and the same desire to protect her and Liam.

But when Camden wants to go all-in with her and Liam, is Naomi ready to stop running?

As You Ice It is a closed door hockey romance with all the sizzle and swoon, but no spice.

This is part of the Appies hockey romance series, featuring Just Don’t Fall, Absolutely Not in Love, a Groom of One’s Own, Romancing the Grump, Runaway Bride and Prejudice, and When Alec Met Evie. These books are standalones but may be best read in order. Related If All Else Sails.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

OH HOW I ADORED THIS BOOK.

This was a huge surprise to me that this story was coming and y’all, I NEEDED it and didn’t even know it. I loved seeing Naomi and Camden’s love story get its own book. It was incredibly soft and tender. It’s low angst but high tension and filled with alllll of the communication. This book brought me peace every time I picked it up.

And getting to see the entire Appies team one more time was hitting me in the feels. The group texts and friendships make this book. I love how large this family is and how they treat and love each other through the highs and lows.

AND DO NOT WORRY, DO NOT FEAR, the jersey moment there and it was *on fire*. BLESS SPORTS ROMANCES.

Overall audience notes:

  • Hockey Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: a loved one with early on-set dementia

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