Tag: Book Review

ARC Book Review: The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Christina Lauren
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: May 14th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Christina Lauren, returns with a delicious new romance between the buttoned-up heir of a grocery chain and his free-spirited artist ex as they fake their relationship in order to receive a massive inheritance.

Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam “West” Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.

Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.

Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents—his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.

Thank you to Simon Audio for the free audiobook.

CHAOTIC GOOD.

I binged this in a morning while chaotically packing for a trip and I think the balance of the chaoticness of this book really hit a mood I didn’t know I was in. This book is filled with drama, a FMC who absolutely does not have it together and a handsome man who needs her help. I didn’t even know this was a MOC book until I started it and I loved the set-up.

There were a few writing quirks that stood out, like how she kept referring to his 🍆 as “g*ddamn” that I just couldn’t understand the necessity. And this and that that stood out enough for this not to be a full five star.

I actually didn’t mind the drama because this book leans into it hard and I felt like that was the point. I wanted the drama, the escapism of this beachy kind of read and the enjoyment of a good romance. I liked how Anna and Liam figured things out and even though there was a benefits moment, you could tell they had insane chemistry together and the caring groundwork was already in place.

This is another tally in the win column for a CL book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 4+ open
  • Violence: low

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Book Review: Fate Breaker (Realm Breaker #3) by Victoria Aveyard

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 625 pages
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 27th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A dark fate descends. A shattered alliance must rise.

The Companions are torn apart and the realm hangs in the balance, at the edge of ruin. Taristan and Queen Erida rise triumphant from the battlefield, while Corayne barely escapes with her life; her Companions left behind to uncertain fates.

But not all hope was lost: Corayne managed to steal Taristan’s Spindleblade. Without it, Taristan can’t rip open any more Spindles. Without it, he can’t end the world.

Now, from every corner of the realm, the Companions race to reunite while they rally old allies and seek unexpected new ones, in one final push against darkness.

But Taristan and Erida are all but invincible. With their cruel god, What Waits, on their side, they will sacrifice anything and anyone to his hunger.

Everything has come to this. In the final clash between good and evil, a ragged alliance makes its bravest stand against a ruthless enemy . . . and the demon god who would consume the realm entire.

GREAT CONCLUSION.

This review won’t be terribly long because I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone, but I am here to say this was much better than the Red Queen series (of which I DNF after the third book and raged when someone told me what happened in the fourth). THIS SERIES ENDS BETTER.

And for all my low romance lovers, this is a great series to pick up. There’s some, but it’s very much a sub plot and doesn’t overwhelm the big plot happenings. This had those high fantasy vibes while being a young adult aged (and appropriate) read.

I found the final moments to wrap up where things needed to be. I had some concerns about a certain pairing and thought that where the ended up made a lot of sense and felt satisfying.

Many will find these books slow, so I highly recommend the audio (I listened to all three of them) to make things move a little faster.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: moderate-high

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Book Review: Dear Aaron by Mariana Zapata

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 500 pages
Author: Mariana Zapata
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 10th, 2017
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Ruby Santos knew exactly what she was getting herself into when she signed up to write a soldier overseas.

The guidelines were simple: one letter or email a week for the length of his or her deployment. Care packages were optional.

Been there, done that. She thought she knew what to expect.

What she didn’t count on was falling in love with the guy.

GREW ON ME.

Who knew I would have to wait SO LONG for these two to actually meet? And who I would kind of be into it? This is definitely very heavy on epistolary elements but as the pages went by I started to realize that I was invested in how adorable these two were. There was something magic about connecting through writing before Aaron and Ruby had a chance to meet.

I liked that this had it’s own vibe. It’s different than other romances I’ve read and I FELT for both of these characters. It’s a simple romance read without a lot of heavy plot dynamics. Aaron and Ruby fell in love in this precious way that I connected a lot with.

The ending was a little abrupt for me and I wish we could have seen a little bit more (and the rest is redacted for spoiler reasons). I’ve had this sitting on my TBR for so long and I’m glad I got to it! I wouldn’t call it my FAVORITE of MZ’s books but it is highly enjoyable and brought a smile to my face. Aaron is straight swoony with his words and I was melting many times over.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: light, but strong
  • Romance: one open door
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: discussion of deployment and some mentions of war themes, absent mother

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ARC Book Review: For a Lifetime (Timeless #3) by Gabrielle Meyer

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Fiction
Length: 400 pages
Author: Gabrielle Meyer
Publisher: Bethany House
Release Date: May 7th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Grace and Hope are identical twin sisters born with the ability to time-cross together between 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, and 1912 New York City. As their twenty-fifth birthday approaches, they will have to choose one life to keep and one to leave behind forever–no matter the cost.

In 1692, they live and work in their father’s tavern, where they must watch helplessly as the witch trials unfold in their village, threatening everyone. With the help of a handsome childhood friend, they search for the truth behind their mother’s mysterious death, risking everything to expose a secret that could save their lives–or be their undoing.

In 1912, Hope dreams of becoming one of the first female pilots in America, and Grace works as an investigative journalist, uncovering corruption and injustice. After their parents’ orphanage is threatened by an adversary, they enter a contest to complete a perilous cross-country flight under the guidance of a daring French aviator.

The sisters have already decided which timeline they will choose, but an unthinkable tragedy complicates the future they planned for themselves. As their birthday looms, how will they determine the lives–and loves–that are best for both of them?

Thank you Bethany House for the gifted copy.

A CONTINUALLY GOOD SERIES.

I love the exploration of history with each book in this series. This one crossed the birth of aviation and the Salem Witch Trials. I liked seeing the comparisons and differences between the time periods and how each woman, Grace and Hope, interpreted what was happening.

I did think it had a little bit of a slow start. The 1692 chapters didn’t have the same pace as the 1912 ones and I kept wanting to get back to those. After the halfway point I though the plot started moving much better and I wanted to hustle to find out what happens next.

There’s always sweet romances woven in and I loved the way they both played out for the twins. I loved the love interests and the support and care they provided Grace and Hope through their trials. It’s all very sweet and heartfelt and only adds to the story.

I enjoyed many of the moments coming full circle with collision of past and present. I loved the faith aspects and the infused hope and love that was in this book. I can’t wait for more!

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Fiction + Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low-moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: falsely accused imprisonment, hangings (historical depictions of the trials), plane crashes

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