Tag: Book blog

Book Review: Taken With Trouble (Caught in Chaos #2) by Jenessa Fayeth

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 263 pages
Author: Jenessa Fayeth
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: December 10th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Serena Cruz

Being taken hostage by a criminal was not on my agenda for the week. The plan was to catch Liam Hawthorne, the billionaire con artist, and finally prove myself and gain the attention of my boss.

Liam caught me instead.

Forget the bounty, I’m killing him. However, it’s proving a rather difficult task–especially when he convinces me to help him.

He’s trying to con me, but I won’t be falling for it.

Unfortunately, ignoring his flirtations and kindness is getting harder. It’s possible the conman is…more than he seems.

Falling for him would be stupid, especially with bullets flying and lives in danger. So why do I melt every time he touches me?

Only one of us will make it out of this mess a free person, and it’s going to be me.

Liam Hawthorne

I’ve stolen many priceless and beautiful things, but nothing compares to FBI Agent Serena Cruz. I rather enjoy the company of the feisty woman intent on killing me…clearly I’ve been on the run for too long. Or has pulling guns on someone always been this seductive?

I digress. I took her to save her, though she doesn’t believe that. I can’t say I blame her when there’s someone trying to kill us at every turn.

It’s all my fault. I tried to be better, but instead, I dragged her into this mess and now our lives are both in danger.

I was fine when it was only my life on the line.

Serena Cruz has stolen my heart.

OKAY THIS WAS GREAT.

My first book by this author but certainly not my last. This really grew on me and by the end I was glued to my screen because I had been utterly charmed.

I WILL NOTE NOW, please read the first book in this series before this. My original understanding was that these were standalones. But the whole time I was reading Taken I thought I was missing some information and lo and behold, that shows up in book one.

Liam is such a golden retriever puppy. And I adored his energy. Apparently I really love this dynamic. The flirting and protectiveness and the history?? Stop it right now. The banter was great and I appreciated the fast paced that kept things moving. I want more spy rom-coms like this now. Fun and sweet with some hold your breath moments. Looking forward to more!

Overall audience notes:

  • Spy Rom-Com
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: physical violence, weapons violence, kidnapping, attempted murder

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ARC/ALC Book Review: The Wind Weaver (Reign of Remnants #1) by Julie Johnson

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 544 pages
Author: Julie Johnson
Publisher: Ace Publishing
Release Date: April 8th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Magic and adventure swirl through this spellbinding romantasy where a young woman reignites the embers of an ancient prophecy, unleashing a storm that could save her realm or doom them all.

Fear of maegic plagues war-torn Anwyvn. Halflings like Rhya Fleetwood are killed on sight. But Rhya’s execution is interrupted by an unexpected savior—one far more terrifying than her would-be killers. The mysterious and mercenary Commander Scythe. In the clutches of this new enemy, Rhya finds herself fighting for her life in the barren reaches of the Northlands. Yet the farther she gets from home, the more she learns that nothing is as it seems—not her fearsome captor, not the blight that ravages her dying realm, not even herself.

For Rhya is no ordinary halfling. The strange birthmark on her chest and the wind she instinctively calls forth means she is a Remnant, one of four souls scattered across Anwyvn, fated to restore the balance of maegic…or die trying.

But mastering the power inside her is only the beginning. Desire for the Commander—a man she can never trust, a man with plans of his own—burns just as fiercely as the tempests beating against her rib cage for release. Rhya must choose: smother the flames…or let them consume her.

Thank you to PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook and MTMC Tours and Ace Publishing for the physical copy.

I’LL READ THE NEXT ONE.

I had a good time reading/listening to this book. Do I think it was anything groundbreaking? No. It wasn’t anything I haven’t read before, yet that also lent towards my enjoyment level. I know what I like in romantasy and this held many of those key aspects.

*I will note I struggled with the audiobook a bit because I think the narrator made the FMC come off way more abrasive than necessary and struggled on the male voices. I liked the story and characters more when I was reading physically.

The romance was a nice long slow burn. WHICH I APPRECIATE SO MUCH. I am kind of exhausted by how much spice some books have just to start the series of. I want the burn, I want the building chemistry and soft moments that bond the couple together. But also I have thoughts on the romance??? And I’m not going to be naming names at this time, I will be getting my hands on book two as quickly as I can though…

ANYWHO. I thought the world building was executed well without superfluous info dumping. The elemental magic system was explained well and I liked the pacing. There’s a fairly good balance between the slow and fast. I really fell in love with the found family scenes and the story line definitely has enough to keep me going.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 1-2 almost open door scenes
  • Violence: moderate – high
  • Content warnings: loss of life, battle/war themes

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Book Review: Reign of Darkness (The Fallen Kingdoms #2) by K.B. Benson

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 540 pages
Author: K.B. Benson
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: January 16th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Darkness is a vicious evil no mortal can escape. But I’m no stranger to darkness, and I never intend to be free.

With new, unfathomable power, Ari won’t rest until she gets her revenge. But she is blinded by her vengeance, and when Caelum arrives in Eida, she never imagined he’d take it for his own.

Blood fills the streets. Death lingers in the air. Caelum has come to steal Ari’s power and build an army filled with monsters and magic. An army he has every intention of unleashing on the human world.

Unless she stops him.

Fiercely loyal to the realm he calls home, Graeden will do whatever it takes to protect it. But as an insurrection forms against the Starfallen’s new queen, Graeden finds his loyalty is no longer fixed firmly on the realm or the crown.

Unable to douse the fire Ari stirs within him, Graeden finds it isn’t enough to protect her. He wants her. All of her. The one person in the entire realm he can’t have.

As Caelum pushes the realm toward its destruction, there is only one way for Ari and Graeden to keep those they love safe, and they must both decide what they’re willing to risk … and who they’re willing to kill.

Reign of Darkness is the second book in KB Benson’s The Fallen Kingdoms series, an upper YA high fantasy. If you like slow-burn romance, action-packed battles, dragons and monsters, and unique magic systems, then you’ll love this fast-paced, page-turning series. Grab your copy and reenter Eida!

PACING ISSUES.

I really enjoyed book one and have been excited for this continuation. Unfortunately I feel like this severely lacked in plot movement and over the course of 500 pages, not a lot happened.

Ari spent most of the book arguing with Caelum and almost taking him out, but not yet. Rinse and repeat. Graeden and the romance were on the sideline too. There was a fantastically steamy make-out scene, but it almost felt out of left field after Ari and Graeden hadn’t spent much time together.

I don’t know now if I want to pick up book three. It is written well, it’s more a plot choices that were frustrating.

Overall audience notes:

  • New Adult Fantasy Romance
  • Language: very low
  • Romance: make-out
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: The Sword of Kaigan by M.L. Wang

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 631 pages
Author: M.L. Wang
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 19th, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

On a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful fighters in the world, warriors capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For centuries, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire’s enemies at bay, earning their treacherous spit of land the name ‘The Sword of Kaigen.’

Born into Kusanagi’s legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always know his purpose: to master his family’s fighting techniques and defend his homeland. But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen’s alleged age of peace, Mamoru ralizes that he might not have much time before he has to become the fighter he was bred to be. Even worse, the empire he was born to defend might stand on a foundation of lies.

Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house. Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country. But with her son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of invasion looming on the horizon, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface.

When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies ever reach their shores?

THIS BOOK TORE ME UP.

I was not expecting the devastation this book brought me. OHMYGOODNESS. I can’t even speak to it as well as I want to because it would spoil things and I need y’all to go read this book and then come find me so we can cry together.

This also had one of the best character arc chapters I have ever read (IYKYK). The fighting and emotion and being at your absolute lowest that brought this character to finally shape up and DO SOMETHING. I will constantly be coming back to this scene.

And I loved loved loved Misaki. This book really showcased the strength of being a woman and mother. The way so many themes were tackled were hard hitting and raw. I could not put this book down. I thought the writing and pacing was incredible. This book made me think, cry, rage and contemplate all the things.

Hands down a new favorite in the fantasy genre for me.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: this isn’t a romance book but there are some discussions around sex
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings: miscarriage, suicide, war themes, loss of loved ones, graphic deaths/violence, attempted murder of a baby, r*pe, post partum depression

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