Tag: Book blog

Book Review: Misfortune and Mr. Right (Only Magic in the Building) by Savannah Scott

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance + Magical Realism
Length: 324 pages
Author: Savannah Scott
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 26th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When your nemesis is your next-door neighbor, falling for him is not part of the plan … but fate may have other ideas.

Olivia Pennington has spent her whole life competing with Logan Alexander—and losing. From spelling bees to science fairs, he’s always been one step ahead, snagging the trophies, titles, accolades, and now … he’s after the promotion she desperately wanted. As if that’s not bad enough, Logan also moved into the apartment she had her heart set on.

Logan’s been secretly falling in love with Olivia since the third grade. His strategy? Stay close, win her over. But, the more he foisted himself on her, the bigger mess he made. Now Logan’s back in town, and he’s determined to settle the score. He’s over his crush, so he thinks. And he just wants to bury the hatchet, preferably not by Olivia chucking it at him.

When a string of mysterious fortune cookies starts appearing, hinting at a match between Logan and Olivia, Logan’s all in. Olivia? Not so much.

But in this building, fate isn’t merely a suggestion—it’s practically written on the walls. If you thought Mr. Darcy had a hard time convincing Elizabeth of his good intentions, just wait until you watch Logan attempt to win Olivia’s heart—one stubborn, banter-filled battle at a time.

Enemies-to-lovers meets a sprinkle of magic in this laugh-out-loud, heartfelt romcom with a Pride and Prejudice vibe.

LEGIT SURPRISED.

I have read three previous Savannah Scott books and I have not loved any of them. Something has just never clicked with the writing and yet I found myself determined to read every book in the series leaving me worried about picking this one up.

BUT. I will say, this is the best book I’ve read of hers. If you’ve been wanting to try her books, start here (all of these books can be read as standalones).

I really adored Logan. He was such a sweet heart and had some Mr. Darcy vibes I could get behind. I liked his gentle nature and his passion too. He really looked out for others and had genuine self reflection. I didn’t mind Olivia either. I do think she was a bit childish at times about things that happened years ago, but I suppose it all worked out well enough.

There were still a few plot/writing quirks that didn’t sit well with me. And the third act based around miscommunication had me hitting my head against a wall. I am grateful that this was more of a win than anything else though.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance + Magical Realism
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses

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Book Review: Tomb of the Sun King (Raiders of the Arcana #2) by Jacquelyn Benson

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy Romance
Length: 622 pages
Author: Jacquelyn Benson
Publisher: Vaughan Woods Publishing
Release Date: October 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Respectable lady scholars shouldn’t be dodging evildoers, escaping lost tombs, and chasing down magical artifacts.

Archivist and suffragette Ellie Mallory always dreamed of putting her scholarly skills to work in the ancient sands of Egypt. She never imagined she would be doing so in order to save an object of legendary power from a batch of ruthless villains. Racing baddies to an arcanum of Biblical proportions is only one of Ellie’s problems. Her hopelessly academic and perpetually mortified step-brother, Dr. Neil Fairfax, is about to learn that she’s been gallivanting around the globe with his danger-magnet best friend, Adam Bates—the roguish surveyor for whom Ellie harbors increasingly complicated feelings. Add the petite and terrifyingly fearless Constance Tyrrell to the mix, and Ellie either has a crack team of artifact-saving experts to hand… or a recipe for disaster. Together, they’ll need to follow a trail of three-thousand-year-old clues from the necropolis of Saqqara to the temples of Luxor and beyond, where the ruined capital of a heretic pharaoh hides a secret with the potential to upend history. To keep an earth-shattering magic from falling into the wrong hands, Ellie will need to pull out all the stops—even if that means resorting to fisticuffs, ignoring proper archaeological processes… and facing a terrible choice between doing what she knows is right or breaking her own heart. Dive into Tomb of the Sun King now to experience the next action-packed historical fantasy adventure in the Raiders of the Arcana series! 

IN LOVE.

I’m so glad I jumped into this book quickly after finishing book one. I am in love with this series and can’t wait for more books. They are quirky and humorous while also tackling some heavy conversations and topics. I find the balance fitting and it continually draws me into the story wondering where the next turn will happen.

And we got a second romance in this one y’all!! Two new characters to fall in love with as they fell in love with each other. I adored this pairing. I loved seeing the conflicts and resolutions that arose as characters grew and changed with all the things they were learning on this expedition.

It’s got just a touch of magic that I think has been woven well into the historical elements. The audiobook is awesome and I’m still smitten with the original couple (Ellie and Adam) too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Fantasy Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: All This Twisted Glory (This Woven Kingdom #3) by Tahereh Mafi

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: February 6th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The highly anticipated third novel in the This Woven Kingdom series, full of explosive magic, searing romance, and heartbreaking betrayal, from the award-winning and bestselling author of the Shatter Me series. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sabaa Tahir, and Tomi Adeyemi.

As the long-lost heir to the Jinn throne, Alizeh has finally found her people—and she might’ve found her crown. Cyrus, the mercurial ruler of Tulan, has offered her his kingdom in a twisted exchange: one that would begin with their marriage and end with his murder.

Cyrus’s dark reputation precedes him; all the world knows of his blood-soaked past. Killing him should be easy—and accepting his offer might be the only way to fulfill her destiny and save her people. But the more Alizeh learns of him, the more she questions whether the terrible stories about him are true.

Ensnared by secrets, Cyrus has ached for Alizeh since she first appeared in his dreams many months ago. Now that he knows those visions were planted by the devil, he can hardly bear to look at her—much less endure her company. But despite their best efforts to despise each other, Alizeh and Cyrus are drawn together over and over with an all-consuming thirst that threatens to destroy them both.

Meanwhile, Prince Kamran has arrived in Tulan, ready to exact revenge…

Layered with exquisite tension and heart-stopping romance, All This Twisted Glory is the explosive third book in the captivating, bestselling This Woven Kingdom series.

I CAN’T STOP.

You know those series that really aren’t AMAZING but you keep finding yourself reading the next book because you feel compelled to do so? That’s me and this series. It feels like a hot mess, but yet I want to see how the romantic drama keeps unfurling. I think maybe by the end I was even into this a little bit????

This lacks in world building and any major sense of plot. And the FMC disappeared for a good chunk of the book too. I don’t understand everything happening but grateful that Kate Reading is the audiobook narrator because she can do no wrong.

Also it should be noted, this is absolutely not a young adult romance. The content is definitely new adult.

Overall audience notes:

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

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Book Review: Clean Out of Luck (Only Magic in the Building) by Carina Taylor

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance + Magical Realism
Length: 264 pages
Author: Carina Taylor
Publisher: Lit and Write LLC
Release Date: April 2nd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Six months to find love. One overprotective menace (who’s way too handsome for his own good). And a building that might have the final say.

Scarlett Fernsby holds the world record for shortest relationships. Mostly thanks to overprotective parents and an interfering brother, every attempt at dating has been a disaster.

When her whole family is out of town for six glorious months, she knows it’s time to find love.

What she didn’t count on was Wade Hendrix. Her older brother’s best friend.

He’s even worse than her brother. He’s soon crashing every date of hers, and Scarlett’s beginning to wonder if he’s made it his life’s mission to annoy her.

Wade is a firefighter with a hero complex; she doesn’t want to be his pity problem. Especially when she’s starting to misinterpret those fiery looks of his.

Scarlett doesn’t know what to do with this newfound attraction to him, and though she’d like to scrub him out of her life, the building she lives in has a very different plan.

Wade Hendrix has a problem. His best friend asked him to keep an eye on his little sister. But Wade has trouble keeping his eyes off of her.

What starts out as a favor for his best friend soon turns into pure torture: watching Scarlett date other men right in front of him.

Wade would love to tell her how he feels—but he knows she doesn’t feel the same.

Or does she?

After an especially disastrous date that Wade ruins—and with the help of a very special mop that likes to grant wishes—Scarlett tells Wade that he owes her a goodnight kiss.

But one kiss isn’t enough. Wade wants forever. Now he just has to convince Scarlett that just maybe, love has been right in front of her all along.

SO FLIPPIN’ CUTE.

This book just made me happy. I had a giddy little smile on my face because I was smitten with Wade (who’s a firefighter, you can’t resist) and Scarlett. They had insane chemistry and the banter was incredible. It’s cheeky and humorous while also being laced with attraction and heat.

My one small thing is the plot lacked something more. It was basically Scarlett going on a bunch of dates…that’s it. Minus that, I was charmed. There’s many swoony moments and the kissing scenes will light your kindle on fire.

I also loved all of the friendship moments too. I loved the sense of kindness and helpfulness that was woven throughout. It’s a short read and will absolutely brighten your day!!

(And if you’re not a big magical realism fan this book of the series had the least amount so far, the *mop* in question was barely mentioned/used).

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance + magical realism
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Content warnings; mentions of a past car accident

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